When Life Happens
by bichon2003
Summary: Jason and Lyla pre-series. Will an unexpected event derail all their carefully thought-out plans?
1. Chapter 1

January 2006

Jason woke up and got ready to go to school. It was a beautiful day, and quite warm for January. He was also glad that the off-season was here, now that Christmas was over and school was starting again. Of course, being the star quarterback for the Dillon Panthers, there was never a true off-season, but that was beside the point.

When he arrived at school, he immediately went to his locker and got his books for his first class. Usually, his girlfriend Lyla would be there, but she wasn't today. He was just wondering where she was when she walked in.

"Hi, Jason!" said Lyla.

"Lyla! Hi!"called Jason. "What's up?"

"Not much," said Lyla. "But I'm sorry I'm late. My car wouldn't start when I tried to back it out of the driveway. Happy New Year!"

"Happy New Year to you too!" said Jason.

"Should we do something after school?" asked Lyla.

"Yeah. Why don't we go get some frozen yogurt? Even a star quarterback needs a frozen treat once in a while," said Jason.

"Right," said Lyla, opening her locker. "Just let me get my datebook so I can make a note of it." She got her planner and said, "Hey, Jason, what's today's date? I'm never good at remembering dates."

Jason thought for a second and said, "I think it's January 9th."

Lyla said, "Okay. That's goo-Wait. Did you say January 9_th_?"

"Yeah," said Jason. "Is that a problem?"

"No," said Lyla. "It's just- I-I-I've got to go to my first class. See you after school!"

As Lyla left to go to class, Jason stared at her for a few minutes, then shrugged and went off to his first class. Even though Lyla's behavior about hearing the date was odd, Jason figured she had a good reason for acting as she did. After school was over for the day, he and Lyla had frozen yogurt as they had planned and neither Lyla nor Jason mentioned the incident of that morning. When Jason got home, his mother asked, "How was your day?"

"Good," said Jason. "Lyla acted all strange when I told her what today's date was, but I figured she probably had a reason for doing so."

"Probably," agreed his mother.

Soon Jason went to sleep, glad that he was back in the routine now that school had started again.

Author's note: Please send reviews! The title isn't more descriptive because I don't want to reveal any spoilers.


	2. Chapter 2

One week and one day later

"Tim!" called Jason. Jason's best friend, Tim Riggins, turned toward Jason at the sound of his name.

"What is it, Street?" asked Tim.

"Is Lyla here? I haven't seen her all day. Have you? I mean, yesterday was a no school day, but I saw her at church on Sunday, and she didn't say anything about not being here today. Have you seen her at all?"

"No, I haven't, Street," said Tim. "But have you seen that the locker you're standing by isn't yours?"

"This _is_ my locker," said Jason, getting annoyed that Tim was being less than helpful.

"No, it isn't."

"Yes, it is."

"No, it isn't."

"Explain this, then," said Jason, opening the locker. In it were school books, a lot of pictures of Jason, a sign inside that said Street, Quarterback, #6, and another sign that said _My Locker_ in big letters. Jason continued, "I rest my case." He then closed the locker.

"I thought your locker was in the other hallway," said Tim.

"It was," said Jason, "but I traded lockers with Saracen. My old one was closer to his final class and this one is closer to my final class." Jason sighed and said, "Tim, can we stop talking about lockers? I have a bigger problem. I've been trying to text Lyla, but she hasn't answered. I called her a couple of times at lunch, but they went directly to voicemail."

"I don't know what the problem is," said Tim. "Maybe she's sick, or maybe something happened at home."

"Probably so," agreed Jason.

"Hey, Street, " said Tim, picking up a piece of paper that had fallen out of Jason's locker onto the floor, "what's this?"

"That's a list of goals I've made for the new year," said Jason. "I made it last New Year's Eve. Number one: Win a state championship. Number two: Maintain my grades. Number three: get into Notre Dame. And Number four: Actually read all reading assignments."

"You left Number five blank, though," said Tim.

"Yeah, I couldn't think of a fifth goal," said Jason. Just then his phone made a ding.

"Hold on," said Jason. He picked up his phone and said, "It's Lyla."

He could make out the words _Don't freak _on the first text, but the second text was all weird and was practically unreadable. Jason thought, _How does she expect me to read this? I can't decipher this._ But when he looked at it more closely, he could make out the words _emergency room _and _meet me._

"Oh no!" said Jason. "This is terrible!"

"What?" asked Tim.

"Lyla's at the emergency room. I've got to go," said Jason. He immediately rushed toward his car to get to the emergency room as fast as he could. He was worried that something was seriously wrong with Lyla.


	3. Chapter 3

As Jason ran toward his car, he received another text from Lyla. It said, "Need to talk." Jason rushed to the emergency room as fast as he could.

When he rushed in, he was all disheveled and huffing and puffing and out of breath. Jason managed to catch his breath long enough to ask, "Is a Lyla Garrity here?"

"Room 6," said the receptionist.

_How fitting,_ thought Jason. He went into Room 6, still huffing and puffing, where he saw Lyla. She looked fine, although her left arm did appear to be in a splint and it looked as if she'd been crying.

"Jason!" said Lyla. "I've never seen you like this before! Are you the same Jason I've been dating for the last two and a half years?"

"Oh, no," said Jason. "I'm his evil twin, Completely-Disheveled-and Out of Breath-From-Running-Into-the-Emergency-Room-After-Not-Hearing-From-You-All-Day Jason."

"Oh," said Lyla. "Well, if you ever see me in the morning, you'll catch a glimpse of _my _evil twin."

"And that would be-?"

"No-Makeup Lyla."

They both laughed, and Jason suddenly got serious. He asked, "Lyla, what happened to your arm? I can see now why the text was unreadable. You were typing with one hand!"

"Yeah," said Lyla. "I wasn't in school today because I didn't feel well when I woke up this morning. I meant to text you and let you know, but I never got around to it. I slipped in the shower this morning and landed on my left wrist. The doctor thinks I may have fractured it, but it should heal up."

"That's a relief," said Jason, relieved that the problem was as simple as a fractured wrist. Suddenly, he remembered the last text and said, "Lyla, you didn't bring me over to the emergency room just to talk to me about a fractured wrist, did you?"

"No," said Lyla. "And, actually, they're not entirely sure I fractured my wrist, since they couldn't do an X-Ray."

"Why couldn't they do an X-Ray of your wrist?" asked Jason, confused.

Suddenly, Lyla got very nervous. Although she had been thinking about how she would talk to him all day, now that this was it, she was suddenly losing her nerve. She burst into tears and said, "Jason , you love me no matter what happens, right?"

"Of course I do. No matter what," said Jason, even more confused. "But why couldn't they do an X-Ray? And what does your last question have to do with-?"

Lyla looked at him and said, "Jason, they couldn't do an X-Ray because I'm pregnant."

Author's Note: What do you think? Although it was fairly obvious by the end of the chapter, did anyone see this coming after the first chapter? Please send reviews.


	4. Chapter 4

Previously...

"Jason , you love me no matter what happens, right?"

"Of course I do. No matter what," said Jason, even more confused. "But why couldn't they do an X-Ray? And what does your last question have to do with-?"

Lyla looked at him and said, "Jason, they couldn't do an X-Ray because I'm pregnant."

Jason just stood there for a few minutes, not saying a word. As Lyla looked at him, a million thoughts ran through her mind. _What is he going to say? What if he leaves me? What if he wants me to get an abortion? That is not an option._ Lyla was so scared. She needed him to be with her on this. It wouldn't mean anything if he wasn't.

Finally, Jason thought, _If I don't sit down soon, I'm going to pass out. _He quickly sat down in the chair next to Lyla and said, "How-how-how did you find out?"

Lyla said, "Well, my mother had to take me to the emergency room because I couldn't drive myself. They were going to do an X-Ray, but they asked the standard "Is there a chance you could be pregnant" question. I couldn't lie in front of my mother, so I had to say yes. So they did a blood test and it came back positive. But I started thinking maybe I was last week."

"When you got all freaked out when I told you what the date was?" asked Jason.

"Yeah, I'm really sorry about that," said Lyla. "But when you mentioned the date, I realized that I'd missed my period. But I didn't mention it because I didn't want to freak you out or anything unless I was certain."

"What did your mother say?" asked Jason.

"She got my father to come down here and they said that they will be there for me no matter what decision I make, and that they will always love me no matter what I do."

"So, what are you going to do?" asked Jason, still in a sort of state of shock.

"The way I saw it, there was no real 'decision' that had to be made. I'm going to keep the baby. I didn't see keeping it as a choice, but as a fact of life." Lyla gave a little smile and said, "My father had some pretty harsh threats for you, though."

"Yeah?" asked Jason.

"Yes," said Lyla. "He said that if you ever ran off and left me, he would personally find you and make sure that you would have your you-know-what cut right off. And he meant it, too."

They both laughed, bringing a little much-needed comic relief to a very tense situation. Then Jason said, "Lyla, you don't need to worry about that. I'm not leaving. Okay? I love you, and this isn't going to change that. We're just going to start our family sooner than we planned on, that's all. It will all work out, okay?"

"Okay," said Lyla, feeling so much better. "How are we going to handle it when the public finds out about this? You know they will. You're the star quarterback of the football team in a small, Texas, football-crazed town. How are we going to deal with it?"

"Don't worry about that yet, Lyla," said Jason. "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

Lyla said, "Okay." She pulled a few things out of her backpack and said, "The nurses gave me a few pamphlets for some information so I'll know what to do. And I've got a prescription for prenatal vitamins, and I have my first doctor's appointment on Valentine's Day."

"I'll be there," said Jason. "That's good, that you got all that done. We have to make sure the baby is healthy."

"How are you going to tell your parents?" asked Lyla.

"I don't know, " said Jason. "I don't think they'll be angry, but- I know they'll be disappointed, though. I know it."

As Jason left the emergency room to go home, he was upset with himself. How could he have let this happen? He knew, though, that running away, though it would be easy, was not an option. He had to be there for Lyla and his child. He did this and now he had to step up. He knew that wouldn't be the easy choice, but he knew that it was the right choice- the _only_ choice. There was no other option. He thought, _If my reputation suffers, then so be it. But Lyla needs me, and most of all, my baby needs a father._


	5. Chapter 5

As Jason got in his car to drive home, he got another text from Lyla. It said, "Don't be too hard on yourself. It wasn't all your fault. I was there too." Although Jason knew this was true, he still couldn't help feeling completely responsible for what had happened. And he knew he had to tell his parents. He thought, _And I need to tell them tonight, too. The sooner I can get this over with, the better._

When he got home, he saw his mother. He asked, "Mom, is Dad going to be home tonight, too?"

"Yes, he is, Jason. What's wrong?" asked his mother. She knew something was up.

"I'll tell you while we're eating dinner," said Jason. He went up to his room and thought about how he was going to tell them. He knew they would be disappointed, and he couldn't bear the thought of that. Finally, it was time for dinner.

His father asked, "Jason, do you have a problem?"

"Yes."

"What is it, then?" asked his mother. "Sweetie, you know that if you have a problem, you can always talk to us about it."

Jason sighed and said, "I have something to tell you. Actually, it's more of a confession."

"Honey, if you've done something wrong, you know that we love you no matter what you do.''

"I know that," said Jason. He sighed and said, "You know the Holiday Ball? The Christmas dance that the school has the Friday before Christmas, and it's sort of like a prom, but at Christmas and anyone can go?"

"Yes. What about it?"

Jason thought, _Oh, boy, here it comes, _and said, "I'll get to the point. The night of the Holiday Ball, Lyla and I slept together and...now she's pregnant." Before his parents could say anything, he continued, "I feel like such an idiot and so ashamed, and you probably are, too." He then got up from the table and went to his room.

"Jason...," said his mother, following him, and his father followed her. "Jason, you know that is not true. We are disappointed, yes, but we are not ashamed. No matter what you do or what mistakes you make, we could never be ashamed of you. Okay?"

"You're our son, and we love you no matter what you do, Jason," added his father.

Jason said, "I just feel like I let so many people down. There are a lot of kids in this town who look up to me as an example. What kind of example am I setting now?"

"Look, Jason," said his mother. "You made a very big mistake, yes. But that doesn't mean you're a bad person."

"I know," said Jason. "I know I have to make this right. Lyla's already decided that she's keeping the baby, and I promised to stick by her, because...it's the right thing to do, you know? I know that this baby needs a father."

"Jason," said his father, "even though you messed up, you admitted and owned up to your mistake and are trying to do the right thing. Don't you think that's a better example to set than 'be perfect all the time?'"

"I guess so," said Jason.

"Nobody is perfect and never makes mistakes, honey," said his mother. "The important thing is that you learn from your mistakes and make things right as soon as possible."

"Do Lyla's parents know?" asked his father.

"Yes, she told them this afternoon," said Jason. "i'm so glad you two are handling this calmly."

"Well, being angry won't change what happened," said his mother, "so there's not much of a point."

"You're right about that," said Jason, and they went back down to dinner. Jason felt so much better after getting that all off his chest.

***  
"No way!" The next day, Tim was over at Jason's house, and he was laughing hysterically. "That's a major secret!" He continued to laugh.

"Thanks a lot, Riggins," said Jason. "You're being a huge help here."

"I know I shouldn't laugh, but don't you see the irony here? I mean, I'd have expected this from me, but _you?_ Never in a million years would I have guessed that _you _would be one to get someone pregnant. You're too much of a Mr. Perfect-Golden-Boy."

"You know, I never should have talked to you about this," said Jason. "You're only making it worse."

"I know," said Tim. "Who would have thought it, though?"

"It's not like that, Riggins," said Jason. "We did it one time. Once."

"When did-?"

"The night of the Holiday Ball," Jason said. "Lyla and I didn't plan to sleep together that night; it just happened. I really feel stupid now and I just hope I don't go straight to hell."

"There's no chance of that happening, Street," said Tim. "One mistake won't put you in hell."

Jason said, "Yeah."

"Any other deep, dark secrets you have to tell me, Street?" asked Tim.

"Other than the facts that I'm terrified of cockroaches, those giant blow-up snowmen you see at Christmas creep me out, and that I sometimes stuff my dirty underwear and socks under my bed? No."

"That last one's no secret," said Tim. "Everyone knows that. All guys do that, myself included."

"Yeah. And I really am scared to death of cockroaches. This one time, when I was about eight or nine, there was this huge roach in our kitchen. It practically scared me to death. I mean, I was literally paralyzed for about thirty seconds. I was that scared."

"That is deathly afraid, " said Tim.

"Wait a minute," said Jason. "How did we go from talking about my problem to talking about cockroaches?"

"I don't know," said Tim. "I know that I'm in no position to give you advice, so I won't even pretend to try."

"At least you know to quit when you're ahead," said Jason.

"But there is one thing I know," said Tim.

"What is that?" asked Jason.

"You're going to be a great dad, Street."

Jason looked at Tim and said, "Thank you."

Author's note: There's a bit of foreshadowing in this chapter. Bonus points to anyone who can identify it.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: Some of you may want to read that cockroach story a bit more carefully if you really want to identify the foreshadowing.

February 14, 2006

Lyla met Jason at his locker. It was Valentine's Day, and the day of Lyla's first doctor appointment. They had made the appointment for after school, and at a time when it wouldn't be too busy, to reduce the likelihood of being seen by someone they knew. Although they knew that the news would get out eventually, they really wanted to put that off for as long as possible. But before school let out for the day, they had Valentine's gifts to give to each other.

"Hey, Lyla," said Jason. "I have something for you. Remember how last year, you got mad at me because I only gave you flowers and a card for Valentine's Day? You assumed that I thought you were fat, because I didn't get you candy."

"Yes, I remember," said Lyla.

"Well, I'm going to make that up to you this year," said Jason, pulling a big, heart-shaped box of chocolates out. "Happy Valentine's Day!"

"Thank you, Jason!" said Lyla. "I have something for you, too!" She pulled out a Hershey's chocolate bar and a card.

"Thanks, Lyla!" Jason put the Hershey bar in his backpack and opened the card. As he read it, he saw that Lyla had written, "Thank you for not bailing on me." He knew what she meant by that, and said, "Thanks, Lyla."

"So, my appointment is at four o'clock," said Lyla.

"I'll be there," said Jason. "You know you can count on me."

***  
Four o'clock came in a flash. Jason and Lyla were soon at the doctor, waiting for their appointment.

"Lyla Garrity," called the receptionist.

They went in the back room, and the doctor began.

"Lyla, do you remember when your last period was?"

"Sometime in mid-December."

"Okay, so, since we start dating pregnancy from the start of your last period, then you are probably about nine weeks pregnant now."

"Okay."

"Now, I'm going to do an ultrasound to make sure that the dates match up."

"No problem."

As the doctor turned on the ultrasound machine, Jason stared at it. When the image came up, he immediately saw the baby.

"Yep, this baby looks about seven weeks since conception, so that date is accurate. And that means..." The doctor did some calculations and said, "You're due in the middle of September, around September 17th or so."

Lyla looked at the sonogram and said, "Look, Jason, there's the baby!"

"It looks like a little peanut," said Jason. "But it already has a head and a heartbeat and even little arms and legs!"

"I know. It's amazing, isn't it?" said Lyla.

Jason leaned down and said, "Hey there, little baby! It's Daddy!"

"Jason, I'm only two months pregnant. I don't think the baby can hear you yet!" said Lyla, laughing.

Soon the appointment was over, and the doctor told them in two months, they would be able to tell if the baby was a boy or a girl. But right now, it was still much too early to tell. They left the appointment with a sonogram picture in hand.

"Wow," said Jason, looking at the ultrasound photo, "we're really going to have a baby!"

"Yep, we sure are," said Lyla, smiling.


	7. Chapter 7

One month later, March 2006

After the doctor appointment, it became all the more real for Jason and Lyla. The sonogram image made it hit them: They were really going to have a baby. However, shortly after the appointment, the rumors started.

"Jason, we need to make the announcement soon," said Lyla. "It's inevitable, anyway, so we may as well do it sooner rather than later."

"Yes, we should," said Jason. "We've been trying to put it off as long as we can, but I don't think we can put it off much longer."

"When do you want to make the announcement?"

Jason thought for a minute and said, "Every week, they have a Panther Talk segment on the radio. It's my turn to do it this week. I'll make the announcement then. That way, it'll get out in the open and everyone will find out at once."

Although the time had been set, Jason was still nervous about making the announcement. That night, he asked, "What am I supposed to say?"

"Just tell them the truth," said his mother. "And I'm proud of you for handling this as well as you have."

"Thanks, Mom," said Jason.

***  
Soon, it was Jason's turn to do the weekly radio show. As he sat down, ready to start answering questions, he suddenly felt very nervous. He didn't know how to bring it up or the words to use. Thankfully, he didn't have to bring the topic up himself.

"Street, there's been some rumors lately, as I'm sure you're aware. Care to comment on them?"

Jason opened his mouth, closed it, sighed, and finally said, "Yes. The rumors are true. In six months, Lyla and I will be having a baby. We're keeping it, and I'm staying by her through this."

"Is there anything else you want to say?"

"Yes," said Jason. "To all the kids in this town who look up to me: Lyla and I made a grown-up decision, and this is the result of that. And because of that, it's a decision that we have to live with. But, like my mother told me, just because I made one mistake doesn't make me a bad person. No one is perfect. Your mistakes are what make you human."

"Thank you for your honesty and not shying away from the topic, Street."

"Thanks, yourself," said Jason, feeling much better. "Now, let's talk football."

***  
Soon, March turned into April. Jason was glad that there hadn't been too much of a backlash. People had been surprisingly supportive. One day, Lyla said, "Look out how many diaper and formula coupons we've been getting in the mail!"

Jason joked, "At this rate, we may never have to buy diapers or formula for a year."

"Well, everyone cares about us and wants to make sure our baby will have what he or she needs."

"Speaking of," said Jason, "do you want to find out if it's a boy or a girl? The doctor said we would be able to in a couple of weeks."

"Are you kidding?" asked Lyla. "Of course I do!"

"Okay," said Jason. "Now, I have to get the team gathered up. The Easter egg hunt is tomorrow."

"Bet that'll go well," said Lyla sarcastically.

***  
"Okay," said Jason. "You're probably wondering why I brought you here. Every year, the football team runs an Easter egg hunt for the kids in town."

The whole team groaned.

"I don't want to hear that. Not a word of it," said Jason. "This is not about you. It's for the kids. And I don't care if you're a starter, back-up, third-stringer or walk-on. This is a _team _event. Team, as in T-E-A-M. We're a team on the field, and we're going to be one off of it. Football field. 10:00 A.M. tomorrow. _Be there._" Jason then narrowed his eyes and added, "_Or else."_

"Yes, sir," said the team.

Tim went up to Jason and asked, "Or else what? What's the big or else?"

"Actually, I have no idea," said Jason. "I've never had to get that far. The ambiguous threat always works."

The next day...

Kids were gathering on the football field, getting ready for the Easter egg hunt. Before the event, Jason had assigned out duties.

Matt Saracen, a freshman third-string quarterback, asked, "What am I supposed to do?"

"Supervision and clean-up, Saracen."

Matt rolled his eyes and said, "That's not an Easter egg hunt. That's my life."

"Except you get a bag of jelly beans afterwards."

"Whatever. Sometimes, I think half the team and most of this town pretends I'm invisible," said Matt.

"You are definitely not invisible," said Jason. "You're like an oyster. You know, oysters have a pearl inside them? That's you. You've got a lot of untapped potential, Saracen. That's your pearl. We've just got to tap it somehow. And with a little work, I'm pretty sure you could get moved up to second-string."

"Thank you," said Matt.

As the Easter egg hunt started, kids were running and pushing and even fighting. "Smash" Williams, the sophomore running back, blew his whistle.

"Enough!"

The kids all stopped and ran over.

"The Smash doesn't like to see you acting like us. This isn't football; it's an Easter egg hunt."

"We have to go through this every year," said Jason. "I see it every year, and I've had it. So, I'm making a brand new rule. If there is any more running or fighting, I am going to call the cops."

Tim whispered, "That new rule seems a bit harsh, Street."

"I think it's working, though," said Jason. "They're all behaving now."

One little boy went up to Jason and said, "Mr. Street?"

"Yes?" asked Jason.

"Do you know if your baby is going to be a boy or a girl?"

"Not yet," said Jason, smiling. "But we'll find out soon."

"Are you going to marry Lyla?"

"Hopefully, I will someday," said Jason. "But I don't want to rush into it."

"Okay," said the little boy, and the Easter egg hunt continued. "Happy Easter, Mr. Street!"

"Happy Easter to you too," said Jason.

***  
Soon, the day of Lyla's second ultrasound arrived.

"Wow!" said Jason. "Two months ago, the baby was about the size of a peanut, and now it looks more like a normal baby."

"Yes, it does," said Lyla. "I can see the head. And there's an arm."

"If it's a boy, he'll certainly have a great throwing arm," said Jason with a grin.

"Well," said Lyla, "can you tell if it's a boy or a girl?"

The doctor looked and said, "It's pretty clear that it's a girl."

"We're having a girl? That's great!"

"Hey," said Jason, "if she looks anything like you, I know she'll be beautiful."

"Thank you," said Lyla.


	8. Chapter 8

Soon after the second ultrasound, Jason got out the list of goals he had made. He knew what to put on that blank space now. He wrote, "Be a good father to my daughter." The school year was quickly coming to a close, and Jason and Lyla had decided to both get some part-time summer jobs. They knew they would need all the money they could get.

Finally, the school year was over. Jason said, "Hey, Lyla, your family is going to the beach for Memorial Day, just like my parents and I, right?"

"Sure are, Jason."

"Great. See you there."

"You, too."

"Oh, and my mom found a box of things in our attic that could have value. So we decided to have a little beach sale. Just to bring in a little extra money."

"That's a great idea, Jason," said Lyla.

On the way to the beach the next day, Jason mainly just sat in the backseat thinking. He had plenty of time to think, as it was a very long drive. Big changes were heading his way in just a few months, and he didn't know how he would handle it when they all happened. Also, the recruiting letters were starting to come in. He was only heading into senior year, and was already considered the top quarterback prospect in the country. Recruiting letters had already come from all the major Texas schools and Big 12 schools, but they were also coming in from major schools all over the country. He had Notre Dame as his front-runner, but wasn't 100% committed to them yet. Jason wasn't going to make any kind of commitment to any school unless he was 100% on it. His father had always taught him to never go back on his word about anything.

On the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, Jason was helping his father make the hamburgers while watching the Indy 500 at the same time. Soon, Lyla came over.

"Hey, Lyla," said Jason. "How's it going?"

"Great," said Jason.

"How is your beach sale going so far?"

Jason said, "There was an old Nolan Ryan rookie baseball card in that box. I sold it to a kid staying in one of the other beach houses. He gave me thirty bucks for it."

"Are you sure that was what it was worth?"

"Is there a problem, Lyla?"

Lyla said, "My little brother collects baseball cards in his spare time. A Nolan Ryan rookie card in good condition is probably worth at least twenty times what you sold it to that kid for."

Jason's face turned purple, then bright red. Lyla had never seen him this angry before.

"WHAT?!" exploded Jason. "I don't believe this! That-that little twerp ripped me off!"

"I'm sorry, Jason," said Lyla. "But it's too late to do anything about it now."

"No, it's not!" stormed Jason. "We've got to find that kid! Find out where he's staying! Once we do that, it should be easy to find him."

"What was he like?"

"Well, he was with his father, who seems to have some serious psycho problems, and he had red hair, and he was polite, yet super creepy."

"Even if you do find him, how are you going to get the card back?"

Jason said, "He looks like he's twelve years old, at most. I've been on the football team for three years. I think we can work something out. We have to find out where his family is staying, though. Our window of opportunity is very limited here!"

Jason sent Lyla on a spy mission. He told her, "Scan the beach. Do you have your instant camera?"

"Yes, I do."

"Look for any red-headed boys. But act natural. Take a picture of any red-headed boy you see, but act like you're just taking pictures. If you see any red-headed boys, follow them. Get a picture of the number of the place where he's staying. But do not let him know that he's following you. You got it?"

"Got it!"

"Good luck on your mission, Spy-la!"

"What?"

"Your name is Lyla, and you're on a spy mission. Hence, the term Spy-la."

"Oh. Right."

An hour later, Lyla came back. She said, "I only saw one red-headed boy. Here's a picture of him."

Jason looked at the picture and said, "That's the kid who ripped me off! I'd recognize him anywhere! Did you get a picture of where he was staying?"

"Sure did. I heard his mother call him, so I followed him and I got the number."

"Thank you so much! I'll be able to find him now!" Jason immediately took off toward the place in the picture.

Minutes later, a triumphant Jason returned, holding the baseball card in his hands.

"That was amazing!" said Lyla. "How did you get the card back from that awful kid?"

Jason thought and said, "I reasoned with him."

"Of course you did," said Lyla.

"But I couldn't have gotten it back without your spy mission, though. So, thank you."

"You're welcome."

Jason said, "I don't think that kid will ever try to rip anyone off ever again."

"I don't think so, either," said Lyla. Suddenly she stopped.

"What's wrong, Lyla?"

"Nothing's wrong," said Lyla with a smile. "The baby's moving!"

"Wow," said Jason, feeling for himself. "She is!"

"I can't wait to meet her!" exclaimed Lyla.

"Me, too!" said Jason with a big grin.


	9. Chapter 9

That night, while Jason was watching SportsCenter on TV and thinking yet again about how his life would change so drastically in just a few months, there was a knock on the door.

"Can you get that, Jason?" asked his father.

"Sure, Dad," said Jason. When he opened the door, he was surprised to see who it was. It was the boy he had sold the baseball card to, along with his father.

"Is this where the Mitchell Street family is staying?" asked the father.

_What do you want, you little twerp?_ thought Jason, looking at the boy. But he said, "Yes, it is. Mitchell Street is my father. How may I help you?"

The father said, "We're the McCoys. My son, J.D., has something he wants to say to you, don't you, J.D.?"

J.D. looked at Jason and said, "I'm sorry I took advantage of you and ripped you off. It was wrong of me and I will never do that to you or anyone else ever again."

Jason didn't buy the apology. J.D. sounded robotic while he was saying it, almost like it was forced. But he said, "Thank you for apologizing. That was very big of you and it was the right thing to do."

"You're welcome."

Jason's father came by and heard why they were there. He said, "It was so nice of J.D. to come over here and apologize." He looked over at Mr. McCoy and said, "And we'll leave any punishment in your hands, right, Jason?"

"Yeah. We will," said Jason. Soon, the McCoys left.

"Who was that?" asked Jason's mother. "Was that the boy who you sold the baseball card to?"

"No, it was George Washington," Jason replied sarcastically. "Of course it was that little twerp who ripped me off, along with his father."

"What were they here for?"

"He came over to apologize, but it sounded so fake and robotic and forced. But I was polite and just told him thank you. And I also need to thank Lyla's brother for being born. If he hadn't collected baseball cards, I never would have known I"d been ripped off."

"Right."

"And next time I sell anything to anyone, I will make sure I know what it's actually worth. That was a mistake, and it was why I got ripped off in the first place."

His mother said, "That doesn't change the fact that that boy was wrong to rip you off, though."

"No, it doesn't," said Jason.

"And it wasn't your fault. You would never rip somebody off, so you would never expect somebody to rip you off."

"I guess you're right," said Jason.

***  
After Memorial Day, summer vacation arrived. Lyla was now almost six months pregnant. In June, Jason came over and said, "Hey, Lyla, guess what?"

"What, Jason?"

"The football team finally hired a new coach!"

"Wow! That's great! Who is it?"

"The old offensive coordinator, Eric Taylor. Also, I've been watching Saracen work out. In just two months, he's improved greatly. At this rate, he'll definitely get moved up to second-string by the time the season starts. Also, some of the girls are going to be throwing you a baby shower."

Lyla said, "Good! That way, we'll get everything that the baby will need."

On the day of the shower, there were many people and many presents. The football team even got Jason and Lyla a present. It was a baby-size Panther number 6 jersey.

"Even though you're having a girl, we still thought it would be nice to give you this," Jason read from the card on the present. "Love, the team."

"That's so sweet," said Lyla.

"Hey, a girl can still wear this," said Jason. "Besides, I plan to raise my daughter to love football, and sports in general."

"You know she will," said Lyla.

The next day, Jason and Lyla were looking over the shower gifts. They had everything they needed for the baby. All they needed to do now was set it up.

"Hey, Lyla," said Jason. "I heard a rumor today."

"What about?"

"You know how the week before every season starts, two teams are selected to play in the Texas Preseason Fall Classic?"

"Yeah."

Jason smiled and said, "Well, I heard from a pretty good source that Dillon is going to be one of the teams selected this year!"

Lyla said, "That's great, Jason! Do you know who the other team will be?"

"Not yet," said Jason. "It's only the second day of July. The game isn't until the last Friday in August."

"That's still great, Jason!" said Lyla. Suddenly, Lyla paused and said, "Why do my pants feel wet all of a sudden?"

Jason looked down and said, "Lyla! Your pants are turning red! You're bleeding! We need to get you to the hospital now! Something's very wrong!"

They immediately grabbed a towel for Lyla and rushed to the hospital to find out was going on.


	10. Chapter 10

Previously...

"That's still great, Jason!" said Lyla. Suddenly, Lyla paused and said, "Why do my pants feel wet all of a sudden?"

Jason looked down and said, "Lyla! Your pants are turning red! You're bleeding! We need to get you to the hospital now! Something's very wrong!"

They immediately grabbed a towel for Lyla and rushed to the hospital to find out was going on.

***  
As Jason told his parents and Lyla texted hers to tell them what was happening, they became petrified. Suddenly, Lyla said, "The baby's moving."

"Okay, that's good," said Jason, but he was still petrified. Soon they were at the hospital.

The doctor said, "So, what seems to be the problem?"

"Bleeding," said Lyla.

"What is your name?"

"Lyla Garrity."

"How many weeks are you?"

"Twenty-nine."

"Is this your first pregnancy?"

"Yes."

"Have there been any problems previously?"

"No."

"Can you feel your baby moving?"

"Yes."

"Was the bleeding accompanied by any pain, or did it just come on all of a sudden?"

"It just happened all of a sudden," said Lyla. "I suddenly felt wet and my boyfriend noticed that my pants were turning red and that I was bleeding."

"Okay," said the doctor. "You said there wasn't any pain with the bleeding, so that's good. And you can feel your baby moving, so that means there's probably not fetal distress. But we should probably schedule an ultrasound to find out what's going on."

"Okay," said Lyla.

Soon, the doctor came in to do the ultrasound. When he looked at it, he said, "Well, Lyla, I think I know what the problem is."

"What is it?" asked Lyla.

"It's placenta previa. Your placenta is covering your cervix. Sometimes, it can shear off and cause sudden, painless, bright red bleeding, like what you experienced."

"What do we do about that?" Lyla wondered.

"We're going to try to stabilize you and monitor the baby. If we can get you stabilized, then you can go home, but on bed rest."

"And if not?" asked Jason, obviously very worried.

"Then we'll have to deliver."

"Now?" asked Jason. "But it's too early!"

The doctor said, "That's why we'll only deliver now if necessary. And we'll also give Lyla a steroid shot to mature the baby's lungs in case we do have to deliver in the next couple of days."

"Okay," said Lyla.

"And although if a placenta previa does occur early in the pregnancy, it can move out of the way, but since you're later on in your pregnancy, the odds of it moving up are not as good. So, if a placenta previa presents at the time of delivery, the only way to safely deliver the baby is by C-section. Since the placenta is blocking the baby's way out, a C-section is the only safe delivery option with this condition."

"Okay," said Lyla.

For the next several hours, Lyla received the steroid shots and was monitored for signs of stress, along with the baby. The doctor said, "The baby is less distressed than Mommy is right now."

Finally, that evening, the doctor said Jason and Lyla could go home. The bleeding had stopped, the baby was not in distress, and Lyla was stable.

As they left the hospital, Jason and Lyla both breathed a huge sigh of relief. The baby was staying put for now. Jason said, "I'm so glad they got you stabilized and didn't have to deliver today. It's still way too early."

"Crisis averted," said Lyla.

***  
Despite doctor's orders, Lyla didn't remain on complete bed rest. As a result, two weeks after the first bleed, she had a second bleed. Although they were once again able to give her another steroid shot and stabilize her, when she was released from the hospital, she got a very stern lecture that it was very important to follow the strict bed rest orders.

After the second bleed, Jason became overly protective of Lyla. He constantly made sure she wasn't cheating on the bed rest, got all the baby's things set up himself, and wouldn't let her lift anything heavier than a toothbrush.

Despite this, almost three weeks after the second bleed, Lyla had a third bleed. When she was rushed to the hospital, the doctor said, "Lyla, do you have any plans?"

"Well, Jason was going to bring me dinner, and..."

"Lyla, I'd cancel those plans if I were you."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, this has been your third major bleed in the last five weeks. Not only that, but also, each bleed has been worse than the last. Given that you're almost at thirty-four weeks, you've had two doses of steroids and are having a girl-statistically, girl preemies do better than boys-I don't see any benefit to holding off delivery any longer."

Lyla suddenly looked terrified. "You mean.."

"We're doing your C-section tonight. I just think it would be too risky to delay it any further, given the three progressively worse bleeds you've suffered over the last month."

Jason looked stunned. "I thought we had six more weeks."

"Apparently not," said a still-petrified Lyla, who looked as white as a ghost.

"I don't want to risk you having a fourth bleed," said the doctor. "Who knows how bad a fourth bleed would be?"

Lyla called her parents and told them to come straight to the hospital. Jason called his parents as well.

"Hi, Mom."

"Hi, Jason, what's up?"

"The doctor wants to do Lyla's C-section tonight."

"The baby's coming tonight?"

"Yeah, we're having the baby tonight. The doctor doesn't want to risk Lyla having a fourth major bleed."

"That makes sense."

"Can you and Dad come to the hospital now?" asked Jason. To lighten the mood, he added, "Come to the hospital, come directly to the hospital, do not pass go, do not collect $200?"

"We'll be there."

Soon, the Streets and the Garritys had arrived at the hospital and preparations for the C-section were underway.

Jason could see genuine fear in Lyla's eyes as he watched her talking with her mother. Lyla was petrified. Not of the C-section-that she could handle-but she was scared that the baby wouldn't be okay, as it was still almost six weeks before the due date.

"Lyla," said Jason, "would you feel better if I prayed?"

"Yes, Jason," said Lyla. So Jason said, "God, please help the delivery go smoothly and help the baby be okay and let her NICU course be as short and uncomplicated as possible. Amen."

"Amen."

"Hey, Lyla, do you remember the day we met?"

Lyla said, "Yes. But could you tell me the story again? It will really help calm my nerves."

"Okay," said Jason.

_August 2000_

_Jason was nervous. It was the first day of sixth grade, and he would be attending Dillon Middle School for the first time. When science class started, the teacher assigned lab partners. Jason was paired up with a girl._

_"Hi, Lyla," he said. The teacher had announced the names of each pair, so he knew the girl's name was Lyla. _

_"Hi, Jason. The teacher said your name was Jason, right?"_

_"Yeah. Hey, what do you like to do?"_

_"I like dancing. What about you?"_

_"I like football," said Jason._

_"Really? That's awesome!" exclaimed Lyla._

_"A girl who thinks football's awesome?" said Jason with a big grin. "Will you marry me?" he joked._

_"Yeah. I do think football's awesome," said Lyla. "Do you play?"_

_"Yes, I do," said Jason. "I play quarterback in Pop Warner."_

_"Wait," said Lyla. "Jason? You're Jason Street?"_

_"Yes, I am."  
_

_"You're a Pop Warner legend! I can't believe I didn't know who you were!"_

_"What about you?"_

_"Garrity. Lyla Garrity."_

_"I'll have to remember that. But we need to get started on our lab right now. We'll talk later."_

"I still can't believe I didn't know who you were," said Lyla.

"Not too surprising, though. I'm not the only person in the world named Jason."

"Good point."

Just then the doctor came in and said, "We're ready."

"Okay," said Lyla. As they started rolling the bed out of the room, Lyla said, "Jason, I'm so scared."

"Don't be scared," said Jason. "It'll be fine. You're in good hands. Just focus on the fact that we're about to meet our baby, okay?"

"Okay."

Soon, Lyla was being wheeled down the hall toward the operating room for the C-section to begin.


	11. Chapter 11

Jason wasn't allowed to go into the operating room at first. The doctor had said he would be called in once Lyla's spinal was in place. As Jason waited, he once again said a prayer that everything would go well. Soon, he was called in.

"Hey, Lyla," said Jason.

"Hi."

"Lyla, do you feel anything?" asked the doctor.

"No," said Lyla.

"Good. That means the spinal is working."

"Okay."

Jason said, "Lyla, it's going to be all right. Just picture us meeting our baby, okay?"

The doctor said, "We're almost there. We just have to rupture the membranes. Lyla, you'll probably feel a lot of pressure as we get the baby out, but that's normal, okay?"

"Okay," said Lyla.

"All right," said the doctor. "Here we go. A lot of pressure. And we have a baby! It's a baby girl!"

Jason and Lyla immediately heard the baby crying. She sounded more like a little kitten, though.

"She's crying!" said Lyla, very relieved.

The doctor briefly held the baby above the curtain so Jason and Lyla could see her. "She's beautiful!" exclaimed Lyla. Jason took a quick picture.

"Okay," said the doctor, handing the baby over to a nurse, "we've got to get the baby cleaned up, weighed, and measured and then we'll do a quick assessment and take her to the NICU."

Jason didn't know where he said go. Lyla was still on the operating table, but his baby needed special care. Lyla made the decision when she told Jason, "I'm fine. You need to go with the baby, Jason."

Jason walked over to where the nurse was with his daughter. He gave the baby a good look and thought, _We'll be able to do this. I know we will._ As he saw the baby being cleaned off and swaddled, he said, "Hi, little baby. I'm your daddy!" The baby looked at Jason. "Yeah, I'm your daddy," said Jason, with a big smile.

"She seems to be doing really well," said the nurse. "Just a little small."

"How much does she weigh?" asked Jason.

"Four pounds, three ounces."

"She _is _tiny," said Jason.

"Preemies usually are. But she'll grow quickly, though."

The baby was placed in an incubator and had a Dillon Panther hat put on her head.

"Okay, we've got to get her to the NICU," said the nurse. "Come follow us."

Jason followed the incubator. After a brief stop so his parents and Lyla's parents could see their granddaughter, they headed to the NICU.

"How's Lyla?" asked Mrs. Garrity.

"She's fine," said Jason. "She did great. There were no complications."

He once again looked at the baby. She was tiny, but absolutely perfect. It was already evident that she had light brown hair, just like Jason. Her incubator had a little sign taped to it that said Baby Street.

"It needs something," Jason said to himself. He got out a Sharpie and wrote Number 6 and drew a football on the sign. "There. Now everyone will know that this is our baby."

Soon, Lyla was out of the operating room.

"How is she?" Lyla asked Jason.

"She's very tiny, but absolutely healthy and perfect. Do you want me to ask the nurse if we can wheel you over to the NICU so you can see her?"

"Sure."

When Jason came back with a nurse, he said, "You won't believe this, Lyla! Guess what?"

"What, Jason?"

"It looks like there's a small news crew outside the hospital."

Lyla laughed. "Of course there is! Everyone wants to see our baby!"

Lyla was soon wheeled over to the NICU by a nurse while Jason followed.

"Oh! Is that her?" asked Lyla.

"Yep. That's her," said Jason, with a tone and a smile indicative of a father's pride.

"She's absolutely precious!"

"She sure is!"

Lyla looked at the baby. "She needs a name, you know. What do you think we should name her?"

"You know what?" said Jason. "You carried her for seven and a half months and had so many problems. I think you should get to pick her name."

"Really? Thank you, Jason!"

"So, what do you like?"

Lyla said, "After seeing her, I think I like Madelyn. How about it? Madelyn Garrity Street?"

"Madelyn," said Jason, thinking it over. "Madelyn. I like it, too. She's totally a Madelyn."

"I think so as well."

Jason and Lyla looked at their baby and said, "Welcome to the world, baby Madelyn!"


	12. Chapter 12

Jason looked at his new daughter and said, "How could I have ever been so scared of you?"

Lyla whispered, "Jason, I'm so glad we went to the Holiday Ball last December."

"Me, too!" said Jason. "It got us Maddie."

Soon, Lyla's parents and Jason's parents came in to see Maddie.

"She's adorable!" said Lyla's mother.

"Have you picked out a name?" asked her father.

"Her name is Madelyn Garrity Street," said Lyla, beaming.

"How is she doing?"

Jason said, "She's really doing very well. Her breathing is good. Really, she just needs to learn how to eat. Once she learns how to eat, she can come home."

"Jason, can you come here for a second?" asked his father. "Your mother and I want to talk to you."

"Okay," said Jason.

He and his parents went outside the NICU and his mother said, "Jason, I don't think we ever really told you just how proud we are of you."

"That's right," added his father. "You handled this very well. And we're very glad that you chose what was right over what was easy."

"You could have chosen to have nothing to do with Madelyn, but, like you said last January, you knew she needed a father."

"Thank you," said Jason. "Someone once told me that sometimes, life can hand you things that you don't expect and don't think you want, but they turn out to be exactly what you need. Maddie is like that for me."

"You're absolutely right, Jason," said his father.

"Maddie is a lucky girl," added his mother.

"She sure is," said Jason.

Just then, Tim came into the hallway. "Hey, Street."

"Riggins! What's up?"

"A little bird told me that Lyla had the baby tonight."

"Yes, she did," said Jason. "You can see her through the window. She's the one with the football on her incubator sign and the Dillon Panther hat on her head."

Tim looked and said, "She looks like you, Street. What's her name?"

"Madelyn, Maddie for short."

"I have a question for you, Street."

"Go ahead."

Tim looked at Jason and said, "You obviously love Lyla a lot. You've been dating her for three years and you just had a baby together. Why aren't you two getting married again?"

Jason said, "I don't want to rush into it. We're just so young, you know. What if it didn't work out? How could I put Maddie through that? I do hope to marry Lyla someday, but the time isn't right now. Even if we do split up, it'd be easier on Maddie if she never knew anything different."

"I see where you're coming from, Street. Remember that we have practice tomorrow."

Jason said, "Practice on a Saturday. This new coach is pretty tough."

The next day, Jason came to practice, exhausted but smiling. "The baby arrived last night. It was a rough night, but everyone is doing well." He opened his locker and put a lot of baby pictures in it and a sign that said _Madelyn Garrity Street, 4 lbs., 3 ozs., 18 inches, August 4th, 2006._

Several players came to look at the pictures. "This is Madelyn," said Jason.

"Cute kid," said receiver Tony Dolia.

"She looks a lot like you," added "Smash."

"Everyone thinks that," said Jason.

Once practice was over, Jason immediately drove over to a Starbucks before heading back to the hospital.

"I need a small coffee, please."

"You hate coffee."

"I know," said Jason. "But I need the caffeine. One small coffee."

The clerk gave Jason his coffee. Jason took a sip, shuddered, and said, "Thank you. Gotta go!"

Soon he was back at the hospital. Lyla said, "Hey, Jason." Then she noticed what he was holding and said, "Jason, you..."

"I know. I hate coffee," said Jason. "Believe me, this stuff tastes terrible." He shuddered again as he took another sip.

"Then why are you drinking it?"

"Because I'm exhausted and I need the caffeine," answered Jason. He put his coffee cup down and said, "Forget about coffee, Lyla. Guess what I heard at practice today?"

"What?"

"You know that rumor I heard last month that Dillon was going to be selected to play in the Texas Pre-season Fall Classic?"

"Yes."

"The rumor was true! We've been selected!" said Jason.

"Oh my gosh! That's great, Jason! Who are you playing?"

"Brant."

"_Brant?" _said Lyla. "Didn't they knock you out in the playoffs last year?"

"Yes," said Jason. "And I still have nightmares about that."

_December 2005_

_"Dillon has the ball down 14-13 at the Brant 11-yard line with 1:15 left to play and one time-out. Dillon is undefeated coming into the playoffs, but they do not look like an undefeated team tonight." The Dillon Panthers were playing the Brant Vikings and it was the state semi-finals. "The season could come down to this," the announcer continued._

_Jason asked the coach, "What play should we call?"_

_"We're going quarterback sneak," the coach replied._

_Jason went back in the huddle and said, "We're going quarterback sneak."_

_The announcer said, "Street takes the snap, dives for the quarterback sneak...HE DOESN"T MAKE IT! Timeout, Dillon!"_

_During the time-out, the coach said, "We're going for it on fourth down. No guts, no glory. Quarterback sneak!"_

_Although Jason had reservations about that, he knew he was in no position to argue, so he went back in the huddle and said, "Quarterback sneak."_

_"Street takes the snap, dives for another quarterback sneak attempt and...THEY STOP HIM AGAIN! I don't believe it! Dillon has turned it over on downs with forty-five seconds left to play, and they are out of time-outs! All Brant has to do is kneel down! Why would you go quarterback sneak on fourth down when it didn't even work on third down? Not only that, but you're only down by one point! If you're ever up close late in the game, down by one point on fourth down, kick the field goal! But now, not even a miracle can save the Panthers tonight! That's it! It's over! The mighty Panthers have fallen! This is the upset of the year!"_

_As the Brant players started celebrating, Jason just stood on the field in stunned silence, and then tears started falling down his face. A reporter tried to talk to him, and all Jason could say was, "That's on me. That's my fault for messing up there at the end. I never imagined the season would end like this."_

_Jason's parents came out on the field. "Oh, Jason, I'm so sorry," said his mother. "You still had a great season. See you in the locker room."_

_Jason nodded, but he feared he would never live this one down. He felt like he had personally lost the game for his team._

"I remember that, too," said Lyla.

"That was the only time I ever cried over the result of a game," said Jason. "It really hurt, because I felt we had a much better team than Brant. And I did receive a pretty unflattering nickname after that. People started calling me Dead-End Street."

_December 2005_

_"Hey, Lyla," said Jason, rushing over by his girlfriend's locker, "ever since I messed up in the game last week, people have been calling me Dead-End Street. I wonder how it caught on so fast."_

_"I think this might be a clue," said Lyla, taking out a newspaper with a picture of Jason and the headline DEAD END STREET._

"Luckily, that only lasted about a week," said Jason. "And I developed a nickname for their quarterback."

"What is it?"

"Bad-Call Benny, because he calls everything 'Out!' And there was this one defensive lineman that I nicknamed Sack Attack after he got four sacks on me in one game. But he graduated."

"Do you come up with nicknames for all your opponents?" asked Lyla.

"No, just significant ones," said Jason. "It makes it easier to remember who I'm playing that way."

Jason and Lyla went over to see Maddie in the NICU. Jason got out the mini jersey the team had gotten for her and put it on her.

"I think that jersey is too big for Maddie, Jason," said Lyla, laughing. "Look, she's swimming in it!"

"She'll grow into it," said Jason. "Besides, the season's starting in a few weeks, and I want her to get used to wearing it. She needs to wear it if she'll be at our games."

"You know she'll be there," said Lyla. They both smiled as they pictured Maddie wearing her jersey at games in just a few weeks. It was something to look forward to.


	13. Chapter 13

August 18th, 2006

It had been two weeks since Maddie's birth. Although she was still in the NICU, she was coming along very well with her eating. Jason had recently given her her first bottle and had done a victory dance when she swallowed half an ounce of formula. It wasn't much, but any little bit was a good thing.

Maddie was somewhat of a celebrity in the NICU. All the nurses loved caring for her. Jason and Lyla just tried to focus on Maddie and not the media, though.

Both Jason and Lyla's parents walked into the NICU. "Jason, why are both of our parents here at the same time?"

"Uh...it's a secret," said Jason. He turned to their parents and said, "Look at Maddie. Isn't she getting big?"

"She sure is," said Lyla's mother.

"Yeah, she's really grown," said Jason. "And her suck-swallow-breath reflex is really coming along. She'll probably be home in about a week, if not sooner."

"That's great!" said Jason's mother.

"Uh...can I talk to the four of you...alone?" asked Jason. "Can we go outside, maybe take a little walk?"

"Sure, Jason."

"Why do you need to talk to our parents alone?" asked Lyla. "Anything you can say to them, you can say to me."

"Actually, I can't," said Jason. "I really do need to talk to them alone."

"And I suppose that's a secret, too," said Lyla.

"Right," said Jason.

***  
Three days later, Jason and Lyla were able to bring Maddie home. The NICU stay, in a way, had been somewhat of a blessing, as it was basically a two and a half week long parenting class. Now, they knew what to do with Maddie.

"Well, Maddie, this is one of your new homes," said Lyla as they walked through the doors of her house.

"Tomorrow, you'll get to see your other new home," said Jason. "I'm so glad we ending up getting the Port-a-Crib for when she gets a little older. It'll make the transitions a lot less hassle."

As their parents took pictures, Jason and Lyla said, "Welcome home, Maddie!"

The next day, Jason was at practice. The Pre-season Fall Classic was just a few days away now, and Jason had to focus on the game, and school as well. Matt ran up to him and said, "Hey, Street, guess what?"

"What, Saracen?"

Matt held up a number 7 jersey and said, "I've moved up to second string!"

"All right, Saracen!"

Matt said, "Now my spot is secure. And I'm really glad, too. This team is literally all I've got."

"I'm happy for you, Saracen."

***  
Soon it was Friday. After school, Jason and Lyla decided to take a little walk with Maddie. Jason told her, "Make sure her stroller has the shade part up. It's really hot outside, and we don't want her to get overheated."

"Okay," said Lyla. "So, are you nervous about the game tonight?"

"No," said Jason. "It's a pre-season game that isn't going to count on our record."

"I've seen you at practice," said Lyla. "You're playing better than ever, actually. Nice to see that Maddie hasn't affected your play."

"Why would she have done that?" asked Jason, looking down at Maddie. "If anything, she's made my play improve. She inspires me." He looked down at her again and said, "Yes, you do, Maddie-girl!" He then looked at Lyla and said, "You and Maddie will be at the game tonight, right?"

"Of course we will!" said Lyla.

"Good," said Jason, stopping the stroller for a brief moment and lifting Maddie out of it. "I need you two at the game. If you aren't there, it'll be bad. It'll make a bad change in my play without you."

"Speaking of change..." said Lyla, wrinkling her nose.

"Don't worry. I'll handle it," said Jason, putting Maddie back in the stroller, checking the diaper bag, and pushing her to a bathroom. "I've had plenty of practice while she was in the NICU," he called.

Lyla smiled. It was true. He had. Now he was practically a pro at it. Maybe even more than she was.


	14. Chapter 14

Soon evening came. The Pre-season Fall Classic was about to start. In the locker room, Jason suddenly got very nervous-not about the game, but about what he had planned for after the game. He texted Lyla to tell her, "Meet me on the field once the game is over and the stadium has cleared out."

Lyla got the text. She thought that the request was a little weird, but she texted back, "Okay."

After a pre-game speech from Coach Taylor, the team came out on the field. They saw the Brant players, and the Brant players saw them as well.

"Hey, look!" called one, pointing to Jason. "It's Dead-End Street!"

"Can't you even gain a single yard on two attempts?" said another.

Tim Riggins was about to say something back to them, but Jason jumped in front of him and said, "Just keep walking. They're not worth it. We're better than that. We'll show them on the field that Dead-End Street is so last season."

Jason came out on the field and looked up in the stands. He saw his parents and Lyla's parents, and then he saw Lyla holding Maddie, who was wearing her mini Panther jersey. It was still a bit too big for her, but at least she wasn't swimming in it anymore. Jason waved to them, and Lyla waved Maddie's little hand back at him.

Soon it was time for the coin toss. The captains of both teams went out and the referee called, "Dillon makes the call. Heads or tails?"

"Heads."

The coin was flipped. "It is tails. Brant gets the ball. Best of luck."

Dillon kicked off. After a quick three-and-out by Brant, Dillon got the ball back. Jason stepped into the huddle and called the play.

"Let's see how Dillon will do," said the announcer.

Jason got the snap, threw the ball, and their receiver caught it for fifteen yards.

"That is a first down for Dillon!"

"Smash" ran for five more yards to bring them out to the Dillon thirty yard line, bringing up a second and five.

"Street drops back, takes the snap, pitches it to Tim Riggins. Will that be enough for a first down? It is! They needed five yards and they got six."

After two more quick throws by Jason, the Panthers had moved to midfield.

"Second and six at midfield for Dillon. Street hands it off to 'Smash'...no, it's a fake! Street throws the ball, caught by Dolia at the Brant thirty-three yard line for a seventeen yard gain!"

Another run by "Smash" got them to the Brant twenty-seven, and Tim managed to grind it down to the twenty-two.

"Dillon is now at the Brant twenty-two yard line. This has been an easy drive for them. Street drops back, takes the snap, caught by Tim Riggins at the thirteen. Second and one."

Jason ran a quarterback sneak to get them down to the twelve. Although it felt good to know that he could get one yard on a quarterback sneak, he still didn't have a sense of closure. The next play, he threw a touchdown to Dolia.

"Touchdown! Touchdown! Dillon marches ninety yards on their opening possession, and just like that, the Panthers take a 7-0 lead!"

Dillon's easy touchdown drive seemed to put some life back into Brant, and they came back to kick a field goal, making the score 7-3. Both defenses clamped down, and neither team could move the ball much through the rest of the first half. But Brant hit a field goal as time expired in the first half to make the score 7-6.

After halftime, both offenses still had trouble getting in rhythm. There was no scoring in the third quarter.

"And once again, the Panthers have been completely shut down. Neither team has produced any offense in the third quarter. Both defenses are winning their respective battles. Brant has zero total yards in the third quarter. Zero. This game is turning out exactly as we expected: a defensive struggle in which every yard is hard to get."

Late in the fourth quarter, Brant suddenly seemed to wake up. "If Dillon can hold on just a little longer... But Brant completes a pass for another first down! They are down to the one!"

The next play, Brant punched it in to take a 13-7 lead with two minutes left. "What a dagger to the Panthers! Brant now leads by six with two minutes left, and so far, Dillon has not shown much life here in the second half. If they have any life left, they need to show it right here and right now."

Soon, Dillon had the ball at their own twenty, and the final drive began.

"'Smash' gets it to the twenty-seven with 1:45 left to play. Timeout, Dillon."

Soon, two more quick passes and a run had the Panthers at midfield. "It looks like maybe Dillon's got a little something going here."

Before long, Dillon had third and one at the Brant thirty yard line.

"Dillon needs one yard for a first down to have any hope of winning. And they have to go for the touchdown here. A field goal will not be enough. They were in a similar situation in last year's playoffs against this same team."

Jason had been given the play: quarterback sneak. But when he looked at the defensive line formation, he recognized it. Then he looked downfield.

"What's he doing?" asked his mother.

"He's calling an audible. He sees something," his father answered.

"Street takes the snap, dives for the quarterback sneak...no, it's a fake! Street takes it himself! He's in the open field! At the twenty-five! The twenty! The fifteen! Ten! Five! They're not going to catch him! Touchdown! A thirty yard touchdown run by Jason Street to tie this game up! I have never seen him run like that ever! And with the extra point, Dillon takes a 14-13 lead with only seconds left!"

The man sitting next to Jason's parents said, "That's your boy."

"We are so proud of him," said his father.

"Both on the field and off," his mother added.

The kickoff floated harmlessly to the ground, and time expired.

"This is incredible! This preseason classic had a classic ending! I don't believe what I saw! Dillon wins 14-13!"

Reporters were soon surrounding Jason. "That was quite a run!"

"It sure was!" said Jason, still trying to catch his breath.

"Your life has changed pretty greatly this summer. Care to talk about that?"

"They've all been good changes, though," said Jason.

"I know your daughter Maddie is in the stands tonight, watching."

"Yeah, she is!" said Jason. "I love you, Maddie!"

"I'm sure she loves you, too. You do not act like you're only seventeen years old, that's for sure."

"That's fatherhood for you," said Jason. "Maddie made me grow up quickly, because I had no other choice."

"I'm sure it did. Thank you, and go Panthers!"

"Go, Panthers!" said Jason, heading to the locker room. Lyla met him there and said, "Jason, that was amazing! How did you pull a run like that off?"

Jason picked up Maddie and said, "I called an audible."

Lyla said, "I'll be out here. We've got to wait until the crowd clears."

"Don't forget to meet me on the field!" said Jason.

"I won't forget!"

Once the field cleared out, Jason came out of the locker room. Lyla met him on the field.

"Where's Maddie?" asked Jason.

"My parents took her home," said Lyla.

Jason said, "Okay, good." Then he said, "A couple of weeks ago, Tim Riggins brought something up, and it made me think. It made me think about how much I love you, and Maddie, and how we're a family now. I want you, me, and Maddie to always be a family, and I want the three of us to be together forever." He got out a small box and said, "My dad gave this to my mom, and now he's passing it down to me. I hope it brings us as much luck as it brought them. Lyla, will you marry me?"

Lyla started crying and said, "Yes!"

They hugged, and Lyla said, "Is that what you were talking with our parents about the other day?"

"Yes, it was," said Jason. "Tim brought it up right after Maddie was born, and it made me think. It made me realize that Maddie needs her mommy and daddy to be together. I had fears about doing this, because I thought,_ We're so young. How could I put Maddie through this if it doesn't work out?_ But then I realized that if we avoided doing things out of fear, nothing would ever get done."

"That is so true," agreed Lyla.

Jason and Lyla went home. It had been an absolutely perfect day.


	15. Chapter 15

Over the next week, Jason and Lyla got into a routine with Maddie. They had worked out an agreement where they alternate days with her and at school. Jason would take care of her one day while Lyla was at school, and the next day it would be the other way around. And they also tried to plan a date for the wedding.

"When do you think we should have the wedding?" asked Lyla. "I was thinking probably next summer, after graduation."

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking, too," said Jason. "Next summer would be perfect. School will be over and we'll have graduated by then, so that would be the perfect time. Plus, Maddie will be almost a year old by then, so we can have her as a flower girl."

"Just don't go too over the top with that, Jason, okay?"

"Okay," said Jason, grinning.

***  
The next Monday was a busy day. Jason had to do an interview with Coach Taylor. The Panthers' first game of the season was only four days away, and they would be playing a tough team in Westerby.

"Got yourself a heck of a quarterback," the reporter told Coach Taylor.

"He's a good boy. Very proud of him," Coach Taylor replied.

Jason had also thrown some passes for some scouts that day. Notre Dame was his leading candidate, and they wanted Jason and his parents to come up for a visit on Saturday.

There had been a slight problem at practice, though. Tim Riggins had shown up half-drunk, and Coach Taylor had put him one on one with several players, who all knocked him to the ground. "Smash" was his toughest critic.

"One person fumbles the ball, we all fumble the ball!" yelled "Smash." "One person shows up half-drunk, we all show up half-drunk!"

After practice, several members of the team went to a local diner, as it was Labor Day, a no-school day. Jason and Lyla went, along with Maddie. The reporters followed as Jason ordered his usual.

"This is pretty much where everyone eats," said Jason. "I always come over here and get the Aztec burger every day leading up to a game."

The reporter made a joke about the Aztec burger being a potential endorsement deal for Jason, but Jason said, "No, I don't do endorsements."

"No, he doesn't do endorsements. No endorsements, no way," said Lyla. "Smash" joked that he already had several endorsements.

"And what about you, Maddie?" asked the reporter, laughing. "Do you have any endorsements?"

"I don't think so," said Lyla. "She's only a month old."

"Oh, sure she does," said Jason. "She endorses Pampers, Similac and Gerber."

"She's a bit young to be endorsing Gerber, isn't she?"

"I guess you're right," said Jason. "But in a few months, once she starts eating baby food, she'll be endorsing Gerber."

They all laughed. Even Maddie turned her mouth up, trying to smile.

***  
On Wednesday, the Panthers played with some PeeWee players, and Jason showed them some of the plays that the Panthers ran. A PeeWee player asked Jason, "Are you going to play professional football?"

"I'm thinking about it."

The same player told him that if he played for the Cowboys, he could be better than Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman. Another player told him he could be better than Peyton Manning.

"Oh, I appreciate that," said Jason.

"How's your baby, Maddie? Is Maddie a funny baby? Does she do things that make you and Lyla laugh?"

"She sure does. Okay, let's pray."

"Mr. Street?"

Jason looked up and said, "Yes?"

"Do you think God loves football?"

Jason nodded and said, "I think everybody loves football."

"Me, too."

***  
Two days later, it was game day. Before the game, Coach Taylor had told the team not to take Westerby lightly. As the team ran out of the locker room, Coach Taylor pulled Jason aside and said, "You deserve this, you understand? You've earned this. The right to win."

"You too, Coach," Jason answered. "Expect to win. You've earned it."

Although Jason led Dillon to an easy touchdown on the opening possession, Westerby struck right back with a good kickoff and a trick play to score on their first play from scrimmage. Jason quickly got the lead back with a touchdown pass, but Westerby would not go away, and at halftime, the teams went into the locker room tied at 14.

Despite a fiery halftime rant by one of the coaches, Dillon came out flat in the second half, as "Smash" was stuffed for a five yard loss.

Jason was getting frustrated. He yelled in the huddle, "Fellas, this is our field! They do not push us around!" His receivers were dropping everything in sight, and before long, Westerby was up by 10.

It took being down by 10 in the fourth quarter to wake the Panthers up. Jason started driving them down the field, and soon Dillon faced a third and five.

"Third and five. And Street looks like he's in command like we've seen him look before."

Jason said, "Look at me! Are you ready to play this game? We've got strong left, 89 gun, 453 heat, on one, on one, ready?"

"Break!"

Jason got the snap, but threw, as the announcers put it, a "wobbler." The pass was intercepted by a Westerby defender, who started storming toward the Dillon end zone. Jason was the only one with a chance to get to him. So he plowed into the defender-BOOM!

"Fumble on the play! A fumble!"

"That's a gigantic hit on Street!"

Lyla, who hadn't really seen the play, said, "What happened?"

"He is down on the ground! He is down!"

Lyla looked on the field and saw that Jason was lying face-down near the end zone. She wasn't too worried at first. She figured he probably just had the wind knocked out of him or had suffered a stinger. But when she noticed that he wasn't moving, she started to get concerned. When the medics came out and Jason's parents ran onto the field, it was very clear that this was turning into an emergency and that Jason was seriously hurt. So Lyla grabbed Maddie's carseat and ran onto the field herself.

Jason, meanwhile, was still on the ground, immobile. The medics asked Jason, "Can you squeeze my hand for me?"

"Y-yes," said Jason. But he actually couldn't. Actually, he couldn't move at all. Not only was he completely immobile, but when he made the tackle, he had gone totally numb. It reminded him of when he had been paralyzed briefly by fear of the cockroach. But he knew this time, the paralysis wasn't going to go away after only thirty seconds. He knew that this time, it would last much longer. Maybe forever.

Soon, the medics were strapping Jason onto the stretcher. "Thank you," said Jason. He was carted out of the stadium and into the waiting ambulance. He saw his parents and said, "Where's Lyla? And Maddie?"

"They're following in her car," assured his mother.

When they arrived at the hospital, they quickly determined that it was likely a spinal cord injury. X-rays and an MRI were taken, and Jason was rushed in for emergency surgery.

Lyla started crying. She needed Jason to be okay, and she knew he wasn't. This wasn't a normal football injury. Jason's life was potentially hanging in the balance, and that was what scared her most. She needed him. Both she and Maddie needed Jason to be okay.

Jason's parents and Lyla's parents came over to Lyla to try to console her. "It's so terrible," said Lyla. "He needs to be okay. I need him to be okay."

And Maddie started crying because Lyla was crying. Lyla rocked her and said, "It's all okay, Maddie. Your daddy is going to be okay." Lyla wished she could believe herself, but she couldn't.

The six of them sat down on plastic chairs in the hallway, waiting to hear about Jason's condition.


	16. Chapter 16

The Streets and the Garritys were sitting in the waiting area when a doctor came out.

"How is he?" asked Lyla.

"He's stable right now. He got through the surgery and he's in his own room now. He's in the ICU, but you can go see him," said the doctor. "He's still unconscious, though. And there are some things that we need to prepare you for. There's a halo brace in his head, and he's on oxygen. I'm telling you this now so they don't take you by surprise when you see them."

"Okay," said Jason's mother.

They walked into Jason's room. Lyla just about gasped. She was glad the doctor had mentioned the halo beforehand or else she probably would have passed out. And, as the doctor had said, Jason was still unconscious.

"When will he be waking up?" asked his father.

"The anesthetic should wear off pretty soon," said the doctor.

Just then, Maddie started to fuss. Lyla picked her up and started rocking her gently. "It's all right, Maddie," she said again. "Daddy will be waking up soon."

"Lyla, it's getting late," said her mother. "Do you think you and Maddie should go home and try to get some sleep?"

"No," said Lyla. "I need to stay with Jason until he wakes up. He needs me."

Just then, Jason started to stir.

"Wha-what happened?" he asked sleepily.

"You got hurt trying to make a tackle," said Lyla.

"Lyla! Maddie!" said Jason, still sleepy. "I'm so glad you came!"

"Of course we came," said Lyla. "But it's getting late. Maddie and I are going to go home to try to get some sleep. But we'll be back first thing in the morning, okay?"

"Okay," said Jason.

"I love you," said Lyla, giving him a kiss.

"I love you, too," said Jason, a bit more alert, but still sleepy.

***  
The next morning, Lyla and Maddie were back at the hospital, just as Lyla had said they would be.

Jason's face immediately lit up when they walked in. "Hey! My favorite girls are here!"

"We sure are," said Lyla.

"I missed you. And you, too," Jason added, looking at Maddie.

"And we missed you," said Lyla.

"How'd Saracen do last night?" asked Jason.

"He won the game, but it was a shaky start. I think, from what I heard, once he settled down, he did a good job."

"That's good," said Jason. "I had a feeling he'd come through. I've always had good vibes about Saracen."

"How are you doing?" asked Lyla.

"I'm all right," said Jason. "Right after the accident, all I remember is thinking about you and Maddie. Even though I didn't know how badly I was hurt, I didn't care. I just kept thinking about you and Maddie, and how much you two mean to me. What would happen to you if something happened to me?"

Lyla started crying, and Jason said, "Please don't start that. You'll make me cry, too."

"It's okay," said Lyla. "There's no need to be ashamed. It's all right for a man to cry."

"I'm not ashamed," said Jason. "I just wouldn't be able to blow my nose, since I can't use my arms."

"You know I'd blow it for you in a heartbeat," said Lyla.

Jason giggled. Then he got serious and said, "Lyla, we need to talk about what happened. There's a good chance that this is a permanent injury. And if the injury is permanent, there's a good chance the paralysis will be permanent as well. Where will that leave us?"

Lyla said, putting Maddie back in her carseat, "Jason...permanent injury or not, paralysis or not, nothing will change the fact that I love you. You're still you, okay? You're hurt. You're not dead."

"No, I'm not," said Jason.

***  
On Sunday, Lyla tried to put on an optimistic front at church, but the conversation the previous day was still in the back of her mind. She knew that the chances of Jason recovering were slim. So it was no surprise to either of them when it was determined that the injury and paralysis were indeed permanent.

The next day, Lyla watched Jason fall into his most depressed stage. She and Maddie were visiting Jason, and Lyla had gone to get a drink of water. When she approached Jason's room on the way back, she heard him singing.

_Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high, there's a land I heard of once in a lullaby. Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue. And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true. Someday I'll wish upon a star and wake up where the clouds are far behind me, where troubles melt like lemon drops, away above the chimney tops, that's where you'll find me. Somewhere over the rainbow, bluebirds fly. Birds fly over the rainbow. Why then, oh why, can't I? If happy little birds fly beyond the rainbow, why, oh why, can't I?_

"Very nice, Jason Garland," said Lyla, smiling.

"Ha, ha," Jason laughed weakly. "You weren't supposed to hear that."

"Too bad I did," said Lyla. She put Maddie's carseat down and said, "What's up? Feeling down?"

"You better believe it," said Jason. He looked at the nightstand table at a football from the team that Coach Taylor had given to him. "Lyla, football was my life. How am I going to get past that?"

"I'm sure that will come in time, Jason," said Lyla. "And you know what you have to help you?"

"What?"

"You have a town and a team rallying behind you, you have your parents, you have my family, you have me, and you have Maddie."

"You're right. I do have all that," said Jason.

"Jason, this is a terrible thing that has happened," said Lyla. "But you need to make the best of it. This may have ended your football career, but I don't want to see it be the end of you, too."

Jason knew Lyla was right. He had two choices. He could either keep wallowing in self-pity and make an already horrible situation even worse, or he could learn to make the best of it and do something else with his life. And he knew what the right choice was.

***  
The next week, Jason was transferred to a rehab facility. Here, he would learn how to push himself in the wheelchair, feed himself, and other basic necessities to help him learn to be more independent and get some of the mobility in his upper body back. All the staff remarked that Jason was making some of the best progress they'd ever seen. His motivation was getting back home to Lyla and Maddie.

Three weeks after Jason's injury, Lyla had some surprise visitors for him. The team, on their way to an away game against Arnett Mead, had stopped by to visit Jason. Even Tim Riggins, who Jason knew was struggling with visiting him, had come to see him.

Right before the team left, Jason called out, "Saracen?"

Matt walked back in the room and said, "Yes?"

Jason took something off his right arm and handed it out to Matt. "It's the Dillon Panther QB 1 armband. I've been wearing the past three years, and I'm passing it down to you."

Matt took the armband, and he started tearing up as he said, "Thank you."

Jason said, "You're the man now, Saracen." Matt put the armband on and Jason added, "You're QB 1 of the Dillon Panthers. It's time for you to be the man, okay?"

Matt nodded.

"Go get 'em, Saracen!" called Jason as Matt let to join the rest of the team.

After the team left, Jason started crying himself, as the emotions of the last three weeks came to the surface in full force.


	17. Chapter 17

As Jason's rehab continued, the Panthers' season did as well. The homecoming game against Laribee was next on the schedule, and Jason had been invited to come.

"I just don't know if I could handle it," Jason confided to Lyla.

"Like you're not already used to being the center of attention," Lyla reminded him.

"For football, maybe, but not for this," said Jason. "It would just feel like 'Hey, come and look at the freak show. Don't feed the animals.' You know what I'm saying?"

"I understand," said Lyla. "But I do think you should come. Everyone wants to see you. People want to know how you're doing."

"Okay, I'll be there," said Jason. "Are you going to be there?"

"You know I am," said Lyla.

Jason grinned and said, "So, what are you going to wear? Kermit or Miss Piggy?"

"That is so eighth grade, you dork!" exclaimed Lyla, laughing.

"How's Maddie doing?" asked Jason.

"Maddie's doing great," said Lyla. "You want me to put her on?"

"Please," said Jason.

Lyla put the phone by Maddie and said, "It's Daddy!"

"Hi, Maddie!" said Jason. "Daddy loves and misses you!"

"She's smiling!" Lyla relayed to him over the phone. "She knows her daddy's voice."

"I'm sure she does," said Jason.

***  
Soon it was the night of the homecoming game. The team was lined up behind a banner, ready to go out on the field. Jason had been selected as an honorary captain, and he would be leading the team out. He was wearing his jersey, and he knew it would be an emotional night.

"Appearing tonight as honorary captain for the Dillon Panthers, Jason Street!"

Jason led the team out, and the crowd starting cheering and chanting, "Jason! Jason! Jason! Jason!"

Jason took it all in. It felt good. He knew right then that he had made the right decision to come.

As he went to the sideline, Coach Taylor looked at him and said, "Jason Street, are you the captain of this team?"

"Yes, I am, Coach!" replied Jason.

"Then I need you to be the captain from the sideline," said Coach Taylor. "Can you do that?"

"Yes, I can, Coach!" said Jason.

The game started, and Jason watched. It felt weird to be watching a game from the sideline, but it also felt good knowing that his absence hadn't caused the team to fall apart. Aside from a loss to South Milbank in the second game of the season, when they were still shell-shocked from the injury, they were holding it together. It seemed as though they had decided to dedicate their season to him.

After the game, Coach Taylor gave the game ball to Tim, who said, "There's only one person in here who deserves this. He's who we get our inspiration from, and he's sitting right here. This game ball belongs to you." He handed it to Jason.

Jason was very touched. "Thank you, Riggins," he said quietly.

***  
After another win against Gatling, Jason was getting very close to coming home. The staff at the rehab facility had been stunned at how fast his progress had been.

"Well, I have a reason for that," said Jason. He looked at a photo he had of Lyla and Maddie and said, "Make that two reasons."

Lyla walked in and said, "Are you ready to come home?"

"You better believe it," said Jason. "I can't wait to see Maddie. I haven't gotten to see her much since the accident. She's probably changed a lot since I've last seen her."

"She has," said Lyla. "She can almost hold her head up by herself now."

"Wow!" said Jason. "I have an idea. You've pretty much had to take care of Maddie alone for the last month and a half or so. So why don't I take care of her until after Christmas, and then I'll return to school and we can go back to alternating days?"

"That sounds like a good idea," said Lyla. "You need to get to know Maddie better. She misses her daddy."

"I miss her too," said Jason.

Just then, a nurse came in, along with Jason's parents.

"Ready to go, Jason?"asked his father.

"Definitely."

"Okay, here's the plan," said his mother. "Once we've got you settled at home, Lyla will go to her parents' house and get Maddie and bring her over to our house so you can see her, okay?"

"Okay," said Jason, grinning. "I can't wait to see my little girl!"

"Bye, Jason," said the nurse. "We'll miss you."

"I'll miss you, too," said Jason. "Not the room, though."

They all laughed. Soon Jason was discharged from the rehab facility and was heading back home.


	18. Chapter 18

When Jason arrived home, he saw that the house had been completely renovated to accommodate his wheelchair. His parents had moved his room downstairs and had the downstairs bathroom redone so he could use it.

"Later, we'll put Maddie's Port-a-Crib in your room so you can take care of her at night," his mother told him.

"Good idea," said Jason.

Lyla said, "Speaking of Maddie, I'd better go to my house and get her."

"I can't wait!" said Jason. He really missed Maddie. Although Lyla had brought her over to visit him at the rehab facility a few times, she was so young and so little that she hadn't been able to come very much. So Jason had missed almost a month and a half of his daughter's life, and now he needed to play catch up, which was why she was staying with him until school started again.

Soon Lyla was back. "Look, Daddy's home! And you're going to stay with him for a little while, Maddie!"

"Maddie!" said Jason. "She's gotten so big since I last saw her! And she has hair now!"

"Okay," said Lyla. "Here's the diaper bag. Here's her stroller. And here's her car seat. I've also got her bottles, the formula, diapers, and all her other basic necessities. Here's a list that I made of how to prepare the formula, how much she's taking now, how often she wakes up at night, and what her schedule is like now."

"Wow!" said Jason. "I guess I really was out of the loop."

"You sure were," said Lyla. "She's not a newborn anymore. She's two months old, and she's getting a personality. Also, here's a list of how to decode her cries. Learning how to do that has been a lifesaver for me."

"I'll keep that in mind," said Jason. "This will be a lot easier after the wedding next summer. Maddie will have a more stable environment."

"Welcome home, Jason," said Lyla.

Jason looked at Maddie and said, "Daddy is going to take good care of you. I need to get to know you better."

Maddie had looked a little unsure when she had seen Jason, but once she heard his voice, she was smiling.

"Okay," said Jason. "The list says you're due for a feeding in about ten minutes, so let me make the bottle, okay, Maddie?"

It took Jason longer than he had expected to prepare the bottle with his limited hand mobility, and soon Maddie was crying, wanting her bottle.

"Hold on, Maddie!" said Jason. "Your bottle is almost ready! Daddy just needs to...ah! Here we are!"

Soon Maddie's bottle was ready, and Jason wheeled over to her, picked her up, and put the bottle in her mouth. Maddie eagerly started sucking.

"Goodness, you _were_ hungry, weren't you?" said Jason. Maddie continued sucking. "Don't worry, Maddie. Daddy will try to make the bottle a little faster next time, okay?"

Maddie finished her bottle, and Jason had to burp her. "Okay," he said, "you probably need to burp. Let's see..." Jason put Maddie up by his shoulder and started burping her, patting rhythmically, and soon he was singing.

"We didn't start the fire...It was always burning since the world's been turning...We didn't start the fire...No, we didn't light it, but we tried to fight it..."

Maddie soon burped, and Jason said, "There we go, Maddie. Are you happy now that your tummy's full?"

She fell asleep, and Jason put her in the crib and looked at her. He said, "I'll be able to take care of you. I know I will. I love you, Maddie."

As Maddie slept, Jason went into the kitchen to prepare another bottle for the next feeding so there wouldn't be another delay. He didn't want Maddie to have to wait to eat any longer than necessary. He was glad he had volunteered to take care of her until school started again. Not only was he getting caught up and getting to know his daughter better, but he was also giving Lyla a much-needed break.


	19. Chapter 19

Another week and a half passed, and it was now Halloween. Jason was learning how to care for Maddie. At times, it was a huge struggle. His limited hand mobility made it difficult to change her and make her bottles. But the more he practiced, the easier it got. And he had found a way to hold her using his forearms instead of his hands.

Lyla came in and saw Jason in his room, with Maddie on his lap, and a textbook in his hand.

"Not all of the colonists supported the revolution, however. Some of them-as many as a third-were neutral and didn't take sides. And others..."

"Aw," said Lyla, smiling. "Is Daddy reading to you from his history book?"

"Well, it's not _Pat the Bunny_," said Jason, "but it gets my reading assignments done. What's up?"

"Are you ready to take Maddie trick-or-treating tonight?" asked Lyla.

"I sure am!" said Jason. "She's going to be the cutest pumpkin ever!"

"She'll outgrow the costume right away, of course, but it was so cute, I couldn't resist buying it," said Lyla.

"Yeah," said Jason. "I've got to get back to reading to Maddie. I'm glad Mom brought all my books home, and you brought me the assignment lists. That way, I won't fall too far behind. And I can do my homework and bond with Maddie at the same time. I've discovered that she really loves to be read to."

That evening, they got ready to go trick-or-treating. Jason said, "I'll put Maddie's costume on, Lyla."

"Are you sure you can do that, Jason?" asked Lyla.

"I'll never know unless I try."

Jason placed Maddie down on the bed and got the pumpkin costume out. He tried to put it on her, but it was almost impossible for him to do so. He had trouble moving it around to get it over her head. Soon, Jason gave up, and was so frustrated he started crying.

"What's wrong, Jason?" asked Lyla.

"I can't do it, Lyla," said Jason. "This is how far gone I am. I can't even get a pumpkin costume over a two-month-old baby's head. Is this how it's always going to be for the rest of my life? Is it?"

"Jason..." said Lyla. "It's difficult, I know."

"No, you don't know!" said Jason. "You can move your hands as much as you want! You have an intact spine! You can walk! I'll never be able to do any of that ever again!"

"I'll put Maddie's costume on," said Lyla.

Soon the costume was on, and Lyla brought a smiling Maddie to Jason. "Look, Jason," said Lyla. "Look at how happy Maddie is when she's with you. It doesn't matter to her that you can't move your hands very well, or that you can't walk. All she knows is that you're her daddy and that you love her. And she loves you, too."

Jason took Maddie and looked her in the eyes. He knew Lyla was right and he knew that he needed to keep his emotions in check for Maddie's sake. He looked at Maddie and said, "I'm sorry."

Soon, they went out and took Maddie trick-or-treating. As they went, they discussed wedding plans.

"Do you have a specific date in mind?" asked Lyla.

"Hmm," said Jason. "Maybe sometime in mid-June. What's available then?"

Lyla looked at her planner and said, "Probably the tenth." Then she looked at another date and said, "Oh, my goodness!"

"What?" asked Jason.

"Maddie's baptism is on Sunday! I can't believe I forgot about it!"

"You're right!" said Jason. "We had it scheduled for the fifth of November right after she was born. But I guess with my injury and all that, it kind of got lost in the shuffle."

"Trick-or-treat!" said Lyla. "That was sure a trick, for it to sneak up on us like that."

Jason looked at Lyla and Maddie and said, "Well, you two are the best treat I'll get all night."

***  
November 5th came too soon.

Jason and Lyla took Maddie into church. The weekend had been very busy. Dillon had beaten South Pines the previous Friday to clinch a playoff spot and their first playoff game was twelve days from now, against McNulty. But Jason and Lyla weren't thinking about football. Today was all about Maddie and her baptism.

"Will the candidate for baptism please come forward?"

Jason and Lyla brought Maddie up to the front of the church.

"Today we are welcoming the newest member of God's family. Name this child."

"Madelyn Garrity Street."

"Today, Madelyn Garrity Street will be receiving the sacrament of baptism, and become part of the family of God."

The pastor continued talking, but Jason and Lyla had a hard time following it all. Soon, the pastor took Maddie and brought her over to the fountain.

"Madelyn Garrity Street, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Madelyn Garrity Street, you are sealed by the Holy Spirit in baptism and marked as Christ's own forever."

Maddie was returned to Jason and Lyla, who beamed. Maddie had been very well behaved and hadn't even cried when the water had been poured over her head.

"All right, Maddie!" whispered Jason. "You did great!"

"That's my girl!" said Lyla.

Maddie just kicked her legs out. After church was over, the baptism pictures were taken and Jason and Lyla went home to have the party afterwards.


	20. Chapter 20

After the baptism, Thanksgiving was quickly approaching. It was early this year-on the 23rd. Six days before Thanksgiving, Dillon beat McNulty in the first playoff game, and their next game would be the day after Thanksgiving, against Dunston Valley. It was a little awkward for Jason to be watching the games from the sidelines with his team winning without him, but at the same time, he was glad that they had been able to get past what had happened.

Lyla asked Jason, "What should we do for Thanksgiving?"

"Oh, boy," muttered Jason, picking Maddie up out of her crib. "I think we should have it with both of our families together. If we are getting married in June, we need to get used to that."

"That's true," said Lyla. "I'll tell my family if you tell your parents. Where should we have it? Your house or mine?"

"I think your house is a little bit bigger," said Jason. "But Maddie is staying with me, and my house is handicapped-accessible. So I think we should have it here."

That night, Jason and his parents were eating dinner and Maddie was nearby in her swing. She loved the swing. Jason had once said it was like a big snooze button on the Maddie-alarm. If anyone put her in the swing, she would instantly fall asleep.

"Hey, Mom, Dad," said Jason. "Would you mind having Thanksgiving with Lyla's family over here?"

"That's a great idea, Jason," said his father.

"We were actually just going to suggest that," said his mother.

Jason continued, "I said we should probably have it all together, since Lyla and I are getting married in June anyway. And it should be here since all of Maddie's stuff is here and this house is handicapped-accessible."

"I like your thinking, Jason," said his mother.

Jason wheeled over to Maddie. "She really loves the swing, that's for sure."

"You were the exact same way when you were a baby," said his mother.

"I was?" asked Jason.

"Yes, you were."

"Wow," said Jason.

"Jason," said his father, "I'm glad that you were always determined, even after your injury, to care for Maddie with as little help from us as possible."

"Well, she's my daughter," said Jason. "Of course I needed to do that. I said that I'd never get better at it if I never tried."

"That's true," said his mother.

Soon, it was Thanksgiving. Jason woke up and looked at his clock. It was almost seven. Maddie would be waking up for her bottle soon. Jason got in his chair and wheeled over to the refrigerator, where there were several pre-made bottles of formula. He got one out and wheeled back to his room so it would be ready for when Maddie woke up.

Soon she did. Within seconds, before she even started really crying, Jason had the bottle put in her mouth and her sucking away.

"You know, Maddie," said Jason, "today is a very special day. It's Thanksgiving. And we're all going to watch a big parade on TV, and Mommy and Grandma and Grandpa Garrity and Aunt Tabby and Uncle Buddy, Jr. are going to come over and eat a whole bunch of turkey and stuffing and pies, and then we're all going to watch the Cowboys play. It'll be very fun, Maddie."

Soon Maddie was finished with her morning bottle, and Jason had to burp her. Once he had done that, he put her back in her crib and went back to sleep for a little while.

When he woke up for good, he and his parents ate breakfast and watched the Macy's Parade. When Maddie woke up, Jason brought her over so she could watch, too.

"You see the big balloons and all the dancers, Maddie?" asked Jason. "Look! There's Snoopy! He always like to be a World War I flying ace."

"I don't think Maddie understands a word you're saying, Jason," said his mother. "She's only three months old."

"Oh, she does," said Jason. "I know she does. She's looking up right at me."

Just then, Lyla came in, along with her family. "Happy Thanksgiving!" she called.

"Hey, Happy Thanksgiving!" said Jason. "Do you guys want to sit down and watch the rest of the parade?"

"Sure," said Lyla's mother.

Once the parade was over, the turkey was put in the oven, and Lyla got out the stuffing.

"We made our own cranberry sauce this year, too," she added. "We were in charge of the stuffing and cranberry sauce, and your family was in charge of the turkey and the pies."

"And we've got some great pies, too," said Jason.

Soon, the families were sitting at the table, with Maddie sleeping in her swing.

"Let's all say the blessing," said Jason's father. "Jason, would you care to say it?"

"No problem," said Jason. Everyone closed their eyes and joined hands as Jason said, "Lord, as we are all gathered here today as a family, let us remember just how blessed we are this Thanksgiving. We're very blessed for me just to be here today, and we're very blessed to have a new member of the family." He looked at Maddie as he continued, "Please let us remember the many blessings we already have and to appreciate the ones to come. Amen."

"Amen."

Once the Thanksgiving meal was over and the dishes were all put away, it was time for some football. Jason dressed Maddie in a Dallas Cowboys shirt as he got ready.

"Hey, Jason," said Lyla. "You got Maddie ready?"

"She sure is," said Jason. Then he just smiled.

"What?" asked Lyla.

"I'm just thinking about everything I have to be thankful for," said Jason. "You, Maddie, our families, my life..."

"That sure is a lot," said Lyla. "It's just like you said when you prayed."

"Yep," said Jason. "Let's go watch the game." He and Lyla took Maddie out into the family room to watch the game with their families.


	21. Chapter 21

The next day, Dillon was playing Dunston Valley in their second playoff game. It was a very chippy game, with Dunston Valley getting away with multiple obvious penalties. In the fourth quarter, the game finally had to be called because it was getting so out of control. As Dillon had a commanding lead at the time, they were declared the winner. Their next playoff game would be against Royal Rock on December 1st.

"Can you believe that Dillon ended up winning their region after I got injured?" said Jason.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" Lyla agreed.

"Saracen has sure stepped up, that's for sure," Jason continued. "I've always had good vibes on him."

"I can see why," said Lyla, grinning.

"It's almost Maddie's first Christmas," Jason said, changing the subject. "Do you think she'll understand what's going on?"

"Not a chance," said Lyla.

"But we'll still make it fun for her anyway," said Jason. "And my parents will be getting the Christmas tree tomorrow. We always get our tree the Sunday after Thanksgiving."

"We usually wait until December to do that," said Lyla.

Just then, Maddie started fussing.

"Must be time for a feeding," said Jason. "That's definitely her hungry cry."

"I'll handle this one," said Lyla, getting a bottle out of the fridge and going to Maddie to feed her.

***  
Dillon won their playoff game against Royal Rock and soon learned that their opponent in the state semi-finals would be none other than Brant. It was a rematch of the previous year's state semi-finals.

Jason tried to give advice to Coach Taylor. He told him, "If you're ever in a short-yardage situation, you might want to try running Saracen on a quarterback sneak. He's smaller than me, but he's quicker. Maybe he might have gotten the first down last year."

"I'll keep that in mind," said Coach Taylor. "How's Madelyn doing?"

"She's great," said Jason. "She's four months old today."

"You're a rare breed," said Coach Taylor. "It's rare to find a man so young deciding to step up and be a father to his child."

"It was just the right thing to do," said Jason.

"You know, I was pretty young when Tami and I had Julie," said Coach Taylor. "Not quite as young as you are, but young nonetheless."

"Yeah," said Jason. "It was a shock, that's for sure, but it's become a happy one."

"Hey, it only gets better," said Coach Taylor.

***  
The next day, Jason was reading _Pat the Bunny _to Maddie when Lyla walked in.

"Whoa!" said Jason. "You're home early! It's not after three!"

"I know," said Lyla. "Apparently, there was some kind of toxic train derailment by the football field, so they had to evacuate the school."

"That's crazy," said Jason.

With Dillon's field unplayable due to the derailment, the state semi-final game would have to be moved to a different location. They finally decided to construct a makeshift field on a cow pasture.

Soon it was the night of the state semi-final. Jason was invited to go to the game. Since his injury, he had become sort of an unofficial assistant coach, particularly to Matt.

"Are you ready for the game?" asked Lyla.

"Yep."

"Let's go get some revenge on those Vikings!"

As the game started, it became clear that Dillon was a different team then they had been the year before. However, during the game, it started raining, and the downpour turned the makeshift field into a quagmire.

"Isn't this great!" said Jason to Coach Taylor. "Good, old-fashioned, down-in-the-dirt football!"

"It sure is!"

The announcer noticed it, too, saying, "We are having ourselves a mud bowl, and the crowd is loving it!"

Due to the horrendous field conditions, players would often slip and slide after going to the ground. It didn't take long before Dillon's white jerseys turned brown. It became clear that a single score could be huge in those field conditions.

When Dillon took a six point lead late and subsequently held Brant to a three-and-out, it looked like Dillon would win for sure, especially when they were near the Brant end zone, ready to score the clinching touchdown.

"And it looks like Dillon has this game in hand, and you can make those reservations to Dallas."

Matt called the play in the huddle, which was a handoff to "Smash" to get into the end zone and hopefully put the game away.

"And 'Smash' gets the handoff...HE LOSES THE BALL! The ball slipped right out of hands! And a Brant player picks it up and has open space in front of him! What a dagger to Dillon! I don't think they're going to catch him! Wait, is that Saracen?"

Matt had suddenly appeared out of nowhere and quickly reached out and grabbed the defender by the ankle to trip him up.

"Matt Saracen appears out of nowhere to trip him up near midfield! That may have just saved not only the game, but Dillon's season as well! Hold everything, folks! This game is not over yet!"

As Matt came over to the sidelines after making the tackle, Jason said, "Way to go, Saracen! You play quarterback, and you play defense as well!"

"Now it's up to the defense to win this thing for us," said Matt, turning his face toward the field.

On first down, the Brant running back was stuffed for no gain.

"We have a second and ten with that clock ticking away! Second down...SACK! Benny Barnes is sacked for a seven-yard loss!"

"Bad call that, Bad-Call Benny!" yelled Jason.

"Third and seventeen...Barnes gets the snap, gets the pass off, pass complete but not nearly enough for a first down. Time out, Brant."

After the time out, Brant had one last chance to get a play off.

"Fourth and six at the Dillon forty-six yard line. This is the final chance for Brant. Do they have a miracle left in them?"

Matt muttered, "Come on, defense. One more stop. One more stop."

"IT"S A BAD SNAP! The ball squirted right out of the center's hands! Brant turns it over on downs! And all Dillon needs to do is kneel down!"

Matt and the offense came out on the field. "Come on, Saracen!" said Jason.

"Saracen takes a knee, and that's it! That's it! This game is over! Remake those reservations to Dallas, because the Panthers are going to state!"

As the celebration began, Jason took it all in. Despite his injury, the Panthers had made the state championship game. Dillon was going to state.


	22. Chapter 22

Naguabo: Thanks. There'll be more of putting my own take on the games in this chapter.

With the Panthers going to state, the town was in a frenzy. Christmas was also rapidly approaching, and Jason and Lyla were starting to make plans for Maddie.

"Look at the stocking I got for Maddie!" said Lyla. "Isn't it adorable?"

"It sure is," said Jason. "I got her a 'Baby's 1st Christmas' ornament to put on our tree."

"It's beautiful," said Lyla.

Maddie looked up and smiled. Then she started kicking her legs and shifting her body, and before Jason and Lyla knew it, Maddie had rolled over from her front to her back.

"Look, Jason!" said Lyla. "Maddie just rolled over!"

"All right!" said Jason. "My baby is mobile!"

Maddie smiled again, and Jason picked her up and said, "Lyla, do you and your family want to come over tonight? _Santa Claus is Coming to Town _is on TV tonight, and my parents and I watch it every year. Do you want to come over with your family and watch it?"

"Sure!" said Lyla. "I'm sure my family would love to come, too! That sounds like fun!"

That night, the Garritys came over to watch the movie with Jason, his parents and Maddie.

"How about it, Maddie?" said Jason. "Your first movie."

The movie started, and everyone was enjoying it. But when the song "Put One Foot in Front of the Other" came on, Jason got a weird look on his face and immediately wheeled out of the room.

"Jason...," said Lyla, following him. "Jason, what's wrong?"

"I'm sorry," said Jason. "I should have known that that song would trigger strong emotions. And it's like that second verse...you know, 'If you want to change your direction, then the time of life is at hand. Well, don't be the rule; be the exception. A good way to start is to stand'? It's like it's trying to speak to me, but...I don't understand how."

"It's okay, Jason," said Lyla. "I can see why that song triggered strong emotions. But do you think you'll be okay to watch the rest of the movie?"

"Yeah, I will," said Jason. "Let's go back and watch."

***  
Soon, it was Friday, the day before the state championship game. The team was going to take a bus to Dallas, and Jason and Lyla planned to follow them with Maddie.

"Okay," said Jason. "We've got the Port-a-Crib, the stroller, her teddy bear, the bottles, the formula, outfits, pacifiers, diapers...I don't remember us needing this much stuff just to go to a football game before we had a baby."

"Hey, we didn't _own_ this much stuff before we had a baby," said Lyla.

Soon they were at the school. The players were getting ready to get on the bus.

"Joy to the world; let's go win State!" sang Matt as he got ready to get on.

"Are you ready for this, Saracen?" asked Jason.

"I'm ready!" said Matt.

Tim Riggins also came to get on the bus.

"Are you ready, Riggins?"

"I'm ready!"

Jason and Lyla then got in the car and followed the bus to Dallas. Whenever Maddie got fussy, Jason, who was sitting in the back with her, would calm her by singing Christmas songs.

"Lyla, do you know any more Christmas songs?" asked Jason after a while. "I've run through all of them. I've done 'Jingle Bells,' 'Santa Claus is Coming to Town,' 'Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer,' 'Frosty the Snowman,' 'Hark the Herald Angels Sing,' 'Joy to the World,' 'Away in a Manger,' 'O Little Town of Bethlehem,' 'Silent Night,' 'It Came Upon the Midnight Clear,' 'O Come All Ye Faithful,' 'We Three Kings,' 'The First Nowell,' 'God Rest You Merry Gentlemen,'... I am definitely out of songs."

"Hmm," said Lyla. "Let me think..." After she thought for a minute, she said, "How about 'The Little Drummer Boy?'

"Yeah, that's a good one," said Jason. "Thank you." He started singing "The Little Drummer Boy" to Maddie. "Yeah, you like that one?" he asked. He called to Lyla, "I think Maddie likes that one. She likes all the 'pa-rum-pum-pum-pums.' Good choice."

Soon they arrived in Dallas and got settled in the hotel. All three of them went to sleep, as it was a very big day coming up.

***  
When the state championship game began, it was clear that West Cambria had come to play, and Dillon was completely overmatched in the first half and took a deficit of 21-0 into the locker room. To make matters worse, several of Dillon's defenders had gone down with injuries, a problem that had been present during the entire season.

In the locker room, Coach Taylor reminded them that Dillon had been written off when Jason had gotten hurt, but they were in the state championship game. And he also made a surprising decision. He said, "We've lost too many guys on defense. I have no other choice here. Riggins! Saracen! 'Smash!'"

All three players stood up.

"You're our three best offensive players. And we're decimated on defense. So you three are going to be playing both ways in the second half. Understood?"

"Yes, Coach!"

On Dillon's first offensive possession, they were just trying to save face and came out throwing because they had nothing to lose. Before anyone knew it, Dillon had scored a touchdown.

When Dillon went on defense, Matt, Tim and "Smash" stayed on the field. West Cambria's quarterback, "Voodoo" Tatum, noticed this. "Voodoo" was a Katrina refugee who had briefly been signed by Dillon, but a major falling-out had occurred between him and Coach Taylor.

"Don't matter if you're playing offense or defense, we're still going to squash you," said "Voodoo."

"Voodoo" took the snap and took off running. As he ran, he went straight for Matt and kicked him in the head before running out of bounds. "Voodoo" had tried to kick him quickly so no one would see it, but a side official did see it, and the flag was thrown.

"And there's a flag on the play," called the announcers. "I saw the replay, and I think they may be calling 'Voodoo' Tatum for kicking Matt Saracen in the head."

Several of the Panthers ran over to Matt and said, "Saracen, are you okay?"

"Yeah," said Matt, getting to his feet.

"The officials are having a long discussion here. And here's the call."

"Personal foul, Number 9 on the offense. That player, by virtue of his actions, is disqualified from further participation in this game."

"Wow!" said the announcers. "'Voodoo' Tatum is being thrown out of this game!"

"Voodoo" was forced to do the walk of shame to his locker room, and left to boos and hisses from the Panthers sideline. The Panthers were enraged that he would kick their quarterback in the head for no reason.

"Smash" called to him, "Hey, 'Doo-doo', stay away from my quarterback!"

Without "Voodoo", West Cambria's offense struggled. Dillon struck back with two more touchdowns to tie the game. Although West Cambria's offense managed enough life to get a field goal, Dillon got another touchdown, their fourth of the half, to take the lead.

"Can you say Dillon is in the lead!"

West Cambria didn't go away quietly, though. With only seconds left, they were at the Dillon nine-yard-line.

"West Cambria spikes the ball on first and goal to stop the clock. Now it's second and goal on the nine."

West Cambria tried a run, but Tim Riggins jumped to the hole before the running back, and absolutely stuffed him for no gain.

"Time-out, West Cambria."

After the time-out, West Cambria tried a pass, but it was overthrown. So it was now fourth and goal.

"It all comes down to this," said the announcers. "Here's the snap."

The pass was going straight to the end zone, and Matt was on the coverage. "Come on, Saracen," said Jason.

Matt jumped up for the pass, and barely grazed it with his fingers. The contact was small, but it was enough to cause the ball to fall harmlessly to the turf.

"And the pass is...INCOMPLETE! Matt Saracen, who has had to play both ways in this second half, knocks the ball away! Dillon's going to win! They're going to win this thing! What an ending to what a game! Wow!"

As the Panthers ran out on the field and celebrated, the reporter said, "Our player of the game is Matt Saracen!"

"Thank you!" said Matt. "There were definitely times when it was dark, but now we're state champions!" He paused and said, "But I don't deserve this award!" Matt stepped off of the podium and handed the trophy to Jason. "This one's for Street!"

Jason didn't know what to say. He just said, "Wow! This has been a roller-coaster year for me! I've been at the highest, I've been at the lowest, and now I'm back at the highest!"

When everything had settled down, Jason said, "Saracen, what did you do that for?"

Matt looked at Jason and said, simply, "Because you saw me when I was invisible."

Jason started crying. He knew he would always remember that gesture from Matt. That trophy would also be with him forever. It was a day he knew he would never forget as long as he lived.


	23. Chapter 23

After the state championship game, Jason and Lyla started getting ready for Christmas, which was only days away. They put up Maddie's stocking and her "Baby's 1st Christmas" ornament and everything else.

"Hey, Lyla," said Jason, holding up the paper. "They have a whole section of Christmas song parodies for the football team!"

"Really?" said Lyla. "That's cool!"

"Why don't you check them out?"

Lyla looked at them and said, "These are pretty good."

"They sure are," said Jason. Just then, Maddie started fussing, wanting to see her parents. Although she could roll over from her front to her back, she still couldn't roll over the other way yet, and that frustrated her.

"Hey, Maddie," said Lyla, picking her up. "What's up? You just wanted to see Daddy and me, didn't you?"

"In a few months, you'll learn to crawl," said Jason. "Then you'll be able to move much faster."

"It's a good thing she can't crawl yet, though," said Lyla. "She can't get to the Christmas tree."

"Good point," said Jason. He turned to Maddie and said, "I know you're probably thinking of ways to get to the Christmas tree, aren't you? It's so enticing. I can just see those little wheels in your head turning."

Lyla laughed and said, "Jason, I'm not sure Maddie's _that _smart. She's only four months old."

"Do you think she'll like her presents or the wrapping paper better?" asked Jason.

"Wrapping paper, no doubt," said Lyla.

"The school's Holiday Ball is this Friday," said Jason. "Remember last year's?"

"How could I not?" asked Lyla, looking at Maddie. "We went there and came back with Maddie."

"We sure did," said Jason, grinning.

***  
A week later, it was Christmas. The big gift for Maddie had been a bouncy seat. She loved it.

"I'm glad we got some use out of at least one of the Christmas presents," said Lyla.

"Maddie sure loves that bouncy seat," agreed Jason. "And the best part of it is that it can't run out of batteries like the swing. Maddie operates it herself."

Maddie continued bouncing and batted at the toys on the bar attached to it.

"Yeah, you like those toys?" asked Jason. "Merry Christmas, Maddie!"

"Merry Christmas, Jason," said Lyla, giving him a kiss. "You know what makes this Christmas extra-special?"

"What?"

"The fact that we now have Maddie to spend it with," said Lyla.

"What a year!" said Jason. "In just one week, it'll be 2007. Where does the time go?"

"What a year," agreed Lyla. "It's been a good year, though."

Jason's parents and Lyla's parents came in and sat down.

"How does Maddie like the bouncy seat?" asked Lyla's father.

"Just take a look," said Lyla.

"We actually have a gift from the four of us to give to both of you," said Jason's father, handing Jason an envelope.

Jason opened it and read the note inside. Then he started crying.

"What is it?" asked Lyla.

Jason said, "They started a fund for us so we can save up to buy a house after graduation."

"Merry Christmas," said Lyla's mother.

"Thank you!" said Lyla.

"We started the fund, but you'll have to finish it yourselves," said Jason's mother.

"I totally agree," said Jason. "And we will. That way, we can move in together after graduation, get married in June, and Maddie can finally have her mommy and daddy living together. I'm sure she'll be happier that way, too."

Jason and Lyla thought about the future. It had been quite a year. From the high of Maddie's birth to the crushing low of Jason's spine injury to the high of the Panthers winning state, it had been the year of their lives. Life had happened, and Jason and Lyla couldn't be happier.

***  
Epilogue

Two years later, December 2008

"Okay, Maddie," said Jason. "Are you ready to go for a walk?"

"Yeah," said Maddie. Jason and Lyla were back in Dillon, visiting their parents for Christmas.

"If we meet someone, what do we say to them?" asked Jason.

"Mewwy Cwistmas!" said Maddie.

"That's my girl!" said Jason. "And on Christmas Eve, Santa will come down the chimney with a big bag of toys for you and Noah to open." Jason and Lyla's second baby, Noah, had been born in July 2008, and had been quite a shock. Jason considered him to be a miracle baby.

"Yay! Santa!" said Maddie, as they started on their walk.

As Jason and Maddie went on their walk, Jason saw Matt. "Hey, Saracen! What's up?"

"Hey!" said Matt. "Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas!" said Jason.

"Mewwy Cwistmas!" said Maddie.

"Is this Maddie?" asked Matt. "She's gotten so big!"

"I know," said Jason. "She's two years old now. And she has a baby brother, Noah. How's it been for you?"

Matt sighed and said, "It's been kind of a rough year."

"Why do you say that?" asked Jason. "This is your senior year now, right? Why has it been rough?"

"Well," said Matt, "it's not because that jerk J.D. McCoy stole my job and was subsequently named player of the week!"

"I'm sorry, Saracen," said Jason. "You don't deserve that." He then thought, _J.D. McCoy. Where have I heard that name before?_

Matt pulled out an old newspaper with the headline CORONATION and a picture of a player wearing number 12 being mobbed by his teammates.

"Isn't that you in the far left corner of the picture, slinking off without anyone noticing?" asked Jason.

"It sure is," said Matt. "After I PERSONALLY WON THE GAME! I've worked my butt off, I've won this town a state championship and have only done everything that's been asked of me, and what thanks do I get? Replacement." He sighed again and said, "Forgive me if I sound bitter, but it really hurts."

"I'm sure it does," said Jason.

Matt looked at the newspaper picture and said, "Five hundred people and counting have 'liked' this picture on Facebook, and I am NOT and never will be one of them."

Jason took the paper and said, "Let me see that picture again. There's a picture of him without his helmet below the big picture." He looked at it and said, "That's the twerp who ripped me off at the beach two years ago! I'd recognize him anywhere! I'm not always good with names, but I NEVER forget a face."

"He ripped you off, and he stole my job?" asked Matt. "He is nothing but trouble."

"That's for sure," said Jason. "Come on, Maddie."

"Bye-bye," said Maddie to Matt, and they went on their way.

When Jason and Maddie got home, Lyla and Noah met them at the door. "Hey!" said Lyla.

"Hey!" said Jason.

"Maddie hold Noah?" asked Maddie.

"Sure."

"Can you believe how crazy the past few years have been for us?" asked Jason.

"I know," said Lyla. "We had a baby, you suffered a spine injury, we graduated from school, moved in together, got married, had another baby...crazy."

"Hey, that's life happening for you," said Jason. "But I think we're in a good place now."

"Definitely," said Lyla.

"And, despite my limitations, I have inner peace. I think I've got you, Maddie and Noah to thank for that."

"That's why we named him Noah in the first place," said Lyla. "Because it means 'peace' or 'rest' or 'comfort.'"

"Yep," said Jason. "Hey, who knew we'd have two kids at this young an age?"

"Yeah," said Lyla. "Who knew?"

"There they are," said Jason, watching Maddie hold Noah. Even though life had happened over the past few years and several curveballs had been thrown his way, Jason knew he wouldn't change a thing. He knew that he and Lyla were both right where they were supposed to be. And he hoped that things would continue like this in the years to come.


End file.
